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Is Japan really a democracy?

Is Japan really a democracy?

  • Yes

    Votes: 32 41.6%
  • No

    Votes: 45 58.4%

  • Total voters
    77

gaijinalways

puzzled gaijin
15 Jan 2006
540
20
28
Wasn't sure what was the best place to put this, admin please move this if you can find a better fit.

I will comment after a few people have given their opinions and I will explain why I think it really isn't.
 
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Japan has grounded democratic foundation with borrow principles,not a full-fledged democracy as it's hinder by deeply-rooted HARMONY in Japanese culture.
 
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Any further explanation why it is better than that?
According to Jean-Jacques Rousseau ,
Jean-Jacques Rousseau - Wikipedia
he said
Quote:" If I choose my home country optionally,I would choose The country where the interest doesn't conflict between the monarch and the people.
However, there is actually no such country. Therefore, I unavoidably choose the democracy country as the alternative thing. "
The monarch is always conflicting with people's interests at the dynasty of
Europe.
However, Japan never includes the confrontation of the
interest etc.

2)Indeed,Japan is a honor student of socialism because more than 80% ppl regards himself/herself as the middle class.
 
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2)Indeed,Japan is a honor student of socialism because more than 80% ppl regards himself/herself as the middle class.
Recently many in Japan don't consider themselves so well off.
I don't consider Japan a democracy for three main reasons;
1) Japan continually flouts the one man one vote rule. As a long standing concession to the farmers in Japan, the LDP has consistently given the farmers 4 votes for every vote Japanese city dwellers get. This in itself hardly would allow one to be called a democracy. All of these people are registered as voters, yet people who live in rural areas have a lot more weight.
2) Japan doesn't directly elect the Prime Minister. Citizens do elect the representatives in the parties, who than choose the Prime Minister, but as yet no citizen in Japan directly elects the head of state (of course a similar situation exists in the US with the Electorial College system).
3) Finally, Japan is pretty much a one party system recently, as the LDP as held power for all except one year (where they shared power) since the US government handed power back after the occupation. How you could have a democracy with only 1 party in control is beyond me. Yet, Japan is consistently listed as a democratic country. As Caster has claimed earlier, the model does seem much closer to a socialist one.
 
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In my opinion, democracy requires an electorate mature, critical and well-informed enough to vote knowingly. These criteria aren't met in Japan's case.

The Japan electoral system itself can be criticised for hampering information sharing about political parties because parties aren't allowed to advertise their ideas in the written form (including the Internet) during electoral campaigns. This has for effect to give a tremendous advantage to richer parties who can afford TV speeches and big gatherings.

On a side note, I do not think that so many "developed countries" are really democratic. The bigger the country (populationw-wise) and the less democratic it tends to be, except if it is a federal system and states and numerous and have a lot of power.
 
Political science and all its attributes make up an area that I have spent little time in studying, so I am out of my waters here. I only answer since I have lived here as long as I have, and have come from a rather democratic state--the USA.

I apologize for not voting. I could not bring myself to give any absolutes. I feel that Japan is a democracy of sorts, to whatever degree, but it could very well be argued--so it has been said before by others than just those who have posted here, as well--that Japan is not a truly democratic state.

My vote is both 'yes' and 'no'. 😌
 
Douglas MacArthur did many things which help Japan became a democracy country~

I read the book <Leaders> which written by Nixson. He mentioned how Japan became the democracy country by the lead of Douglas MacArthur and 吉田茂

I think the statement of "Japan is a democracy of sorts..." is exactly
 
Yet,Japan is consistently listed as a democratic country,the model does seem much closer to a socialist one.

There are Socialist Democratic nations,some in Europe like France has large component of socialism.

It's the Westerners fancy Japan is just like them.
 
Recently many in Japan don't consider themselves so well off.
I don't consider Japan a democracy for three main reasons;
1) Japan continually flouts the one man one vote rule. As a long standing concession to the farmers in Japan, the LDP has consistently given the farmers 4 votes for every vote Japanese city dwellers get. This in itself hardly would allow one to be called a democracy. All of these people are registered as voters, yet people who live in rural areas have a lot more weight.
2) Japan doesn't directly elect the Prime Minister. Citizens do elect the representatives in the parties, who than choose the Prime Minister, but as yet does any citizen directly elect the head of state (of course a similar situation exists in the US with the Electorial College system).
3) Finally, Japan is pretty much a one party system recently, as the LDP as held power for all except one year (where they shared power) since the US government handed power back after the occupation. How you could have a democracy with only 1 party in control is beyond me. Yet, Japan is consistently listed as a democratic country. As Caster has claimed earlier, the model does seem much closer to a socialist one.

I totally agree with point 1 and 3 but not point 2. Mostly Presidents are elected directly while PMs are not. There are many workable models for a democracy. In order to be truly democratic you need to have a system which is in accordance with the wishes of the population, there are therefore no "blue print".

I think the situation with LDPs dominance is both due to point 1 and 3, but also because of strong business influence and outright corruption.

People are longing for a change. Koizumi was very smart when he claimed that he would reform. But after all these years with absolute majority all he have changes is privaticing the postal services. The japanese political leadership in LDP seems like a supertanker which can not change its course.
 
the LDP has consistently given the farmers 4 votes for every vote Japanese city dwellers get,yet people who live in rural areas have a lot more weight.

Finally, Japan is pretty much a one party system recently,as the LDP as held power for all except one year.How you could have a democracy with only 1 party in control is beyond me.

That's like bend over backward to keep rural dwellers from peasant revolution,as exactly what happened in Russia and China not facing extreme poverty in the country side.

Japan is semi-democratic country with 3rd World one party system.
 
japanese ppl is not interested in politics much because they are almost same policy.
that is , it does not change much...
they are using it as just power struggle..

when a matter of Privatization of postal services was occurd, we realized that clearly

of course. it is not applied when japan face a war

If I see the USA,there are two classes.
Poor, black, imigrants people... supprt Democratic party
rich.....Republican Party

japan does not have such classes
 
I mention it again
LDP.........
dose japan need 2 big parties like USA?
Does the two-party system function well in japan where the spirit of harmony is a base of community society . ?
As for the world, we knew communist politics of which it was basic was equal symbiosis was not able to win liberal politics of which it was basic was a competing principle well.
How can society of rice farming group win it for the rat race which assumed mind of hunting a base(competition society)?
Politics doesn't function without the emperor's approval in japan
Japan is a country of an emperor family on the face of it.
The political party is a policy research group, and the existence for the
policy to compete.
The policy of the opposition party (Democratic Party) in Japan is not very
different from the ruling Liberal-Democratic Party.
The difference is made though the Democratic Party is the same policy as the
Liberal-Democratic Party.
If politician lives as an emperor family without forgetting appreciation to nature, the policy for the people is enforced........
All Diet members should cooperate jointly.
and they should not conflict.
Therefore, the opposition party to fight is not needed.
Japan have the emperor as a master of the race and the nation.
therefore ,Japan doesn't adjust the two-party system of which it is basic is the spirit of
the competition and the confrontation.
Democratic Party faces self-destruction. LOL
I knew that at Privatization of postal services
that was one of stupid policy by koizumi though that was good for Reorganization of politics world
 
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Exactly

Spirit of HARMONY is the base of Japan's community society,not adjust to two-party system which encourages confrontation can lead to disintergate Japanese population overtime.
 
Some good points, the one ricecake made about socialist democracies (I still feel uneasy when I see these systems coupled together as such hybrids tend to truly be neither in some cases) was a striking one. Actually having multi-political parties doesn't make a system more democratic, the US is a good example of this where two main parties 'trade' power periodically, but in the end it is generally more of the same; support big business and protect the upper classes (who fund their campaigns).

As HanChan said (if true), I guess most PMs are not directly elected. It still seems in Japan that little consideration is given to politics (as noted indirectly by Maciamo), so in that sense Japan doesn't have a democracy because the populace doesn't care to be involved in the making of one.
 
I guess most PMs are not directly elected.

Japanese statesman Hirobumi Ito studied democratic principles in England for nearly 20 years in mid-19th century,he instrumentally laid down the foundation of parliamentary political system for Japan which modeled on England.
 
We, Spaniards either choose our President, we just choose the party which we think will do better, then they choose a person among them to become the president. I don't think that is a problem, because whatever you do, the party is the party, and the person leading it, it's just a puppet.
 
If Japan shifts to presidential government, Ishihara surely becomes the president in Japan.
I think it is interesting.
 
It still seems in Japan that little consideration is given to politics (as noted indirectly by Maciamo), so in that sense Japan doesn't have a democracy because the populace doesn't care to be involved in the making of one.

This is also my point. Democracy can only work when people want it and participate in it. Some countries force the democratic process onto the people by making voting compulsory and fine those who do not vote (like in Belgium).

It would also be better if Japan had more political debates on TV as we do in most Western countries. I do not just mean having presidential candidates or party leaders opposing each others in a televised duel, but debates involving numerous non politicians, with some politicians explaining their views on different topics.

For instance, I watched a debate on French TV last night about the problems of the French education system, and the French minister of education participated in the debate with about 15 other people, some famous, some specialists, some ordinary teachers, but also completely ordinary people talking about their experience at school. What I liked is the frankness and closeness there was between the debaters, with ordinary people having as much speaking time as the minister, and asking questions or criticising directly the minister as if he was an equal (no excessive politeness and hypocrisy like in Japan). Such debates are very common in France (several times a month on leading channels). This constant dialogue between the government and the population is vital for the good functioning of democracy. Japan never has serious debates between politicians and the people. But likewise I am not sure that American ministers/secretaries often participate in such debate, sitting with the people as equals...
 
They do occasionally have open debate forums in the US, but they are few and far between. More often though, some people are allowed some chance to give their opinions, but the time allowed for people is rarely the same as the 'experts' and other 'main guests.
 
No

not even the United States is a democracy.
At best both are democratic republics.
The 'democratic' as an adjective because the existance of elections (not inluding for US president because of the electoral college).


but people are working on it....

(not actually a plug because i am not a member, but):
The Liberty Tree Foundation for the Democratic Revolution is a non-profit organization rooted in the belief that the American Revolution is a living tradition whose greatest promise is democracy. ...etc.
 
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As HanChan said (if true), I guess most PMs are not directly elected. It still seems in Japan that little consideration is given to politics (as noted indirectly by Maciamo), so in that sense Japan doesn't have a democracy because the populace doesn't care to be involved in the making of one.

I checked it up now in order to be shure. It seems like the only country to elect their PM directly is Israel. Anyway wether you vote directly for a PM or President does not mean that you have a real democracy - just remember that Sadam Husein got 100% of the votes!
 
A real/true/ideal democracy means a totalitarian govenment or aristocracy, doesn't it? It is just a system, not value at all.
According to the lastest election, people, at least in Chiba, seemed to show "split voting" after choosing a Democratic party candidate, a young ex-hostess woman, but it was just a terribly poor election campaign, "Janken,ツ first it's rock, then saito ken", by the LDP or Takebe.
It was great of her that she beat the opponent during the harsh negative campaign, but I think it is a bit pity that she has kept silence since the election.

Wondering what'd happen if a Yakura leader would be pardoned by Koizumi just before his retirement...
 
Yes, I have argued that the US is a republic in another thread in another forum 'US Politics online'.

pipokun posted
A real/true/ideal democracy means a totalitarian govenment or aristocracy, doesn't it?

No, it doesn't mean that all. That is why one would be hard pressed to find a 'real' democracy in the world at the present moment, as some republics are moving towards aristocratic rule rather than rule for and by the masses.

pipokun posted
It is just a system, not value at all.

No, democratic values are real, and they sometimes are demonstrated whether the whole system is democratic or not.
 
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