Introduction
A country’s official political regime does not necessarily reflect its direct attitude toward democratic principles and legislative elections. Hence, it is crucial to conduct a thorough analysis of the national political system to determine the country’s classification. The focus of the current paper is Japan, which officially implements a constitutional monarchy. Moreover, it has been ruled by the Liberal Democratic Party for over seventy years, and most of the political power in the country belongs to this group (Nillson-Wright & Wallace, 2022). From these considerations, people might doubt Japan’s adherence to democratic principles and freedoms. However, the current essay argues that, although Japan is a constitutional monarchy dominated by a single political party, it implements a democratic regime and should be classified accordingly.
Democracy Overview
First, it is essential to overview the primary principles of democracy to determine whether the Japanese political approach can be considered democratic. In the article by Schmitter and Karl (1991), the authors state that democracy is a multifaceted system that enables diverse institutions and policy practices. Alan Siaroff (2013) agrees with this thesis, commenting that it is a highly complicated task to define democracy as a political regime. Nevertheless, experts conclude that such factors as majority rule, access to participation in politics, the accountable process of election, and overall equality among people are crucial characteristics that define democracy (Schmitter & Karl, 1991). Siaroff (2013) highlights the importance of elections by stating, “if there is only one party or choice on the ballot, there cannot be democracy” (p. 79). Ultimately, it is evident that a democratic regime has several competing parties and provides equal opportunities for citizens to determine which one of them is more beneficial for the country.
Japan Analysis
Japan has a unique political system, merged from the American influence after World War II and imperialistic traditions. The former has introduced a Western-style constitution, focusing on equal rights among all citizens (Siaroff, 2013). This intervention changed Japan’s political system from a military dictatorship before 1945 into a consolidated democracy (Nillson-Wright & Wallace, 2022). However, the country’s emphasis on traditions and history allowed it to maintain its monarchy status, although the emperor was primarily symbolic (Solís, 2021). Most international rankings highlight the high level of human freedoms, political rights, and the fairness of the electoral system (“Japan,” 2022). For instance, Freedom House has assigned 96/100 to Japan, with only Nordic countries, Canada, and New Zealand being higher on the ranking (“Japan,” 2022). It implies that despite being a constitutional monarchy, the political institution follows the same principles as democracies in Western Europe. As a result, today’s Japan implements a composite political system with the benefits of western democracies and the presence of a constitutional monarch.
Competition and Democracy
The primary obstacle to classifying Japan as a democracy is a lacking competition among political parties, with the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) being the dominant choice since 1955. Moreover, Japan’s political regime changed drastically after World War II, implying that LDP was the prevailing party for almost the entire history of modern constitutional Japan (Nillson-Wright & Wallace, 2022). According to Siaroff’s (2013) definition, with the focus on a competitive environment among political parties, Japan is not necessarily a democracy. In such cases, Siaroff (2013) states that it is crucial to differentiate between electoral and liberal democracy. The former ensures the basic democratic electoral principles, meaning that every citizen has the right to vote for the candidate they like (Siaroff, 2013). However, liberal democracy implies that there should be “the absence of reserved domains of power for the military or other actors not accountable to the electorate, directly or indirectly” (Siaroff, 2013, p. 81). Liberal democracy should also provide an equal level of vertical and horizontal accountability for political parties, establishing healthy civil pluralism in the country.
Lastly, it is crucial to determine whether Japan is an electoral or liberal democracy. According to Siaroff’s (2013) classification, Japan aligns perfectly well with the 4/5 principles of liberal democracy – responsible government, equal rights of political participation, full civil liberties, and fair governance (p. 83). The remaining factor, “fair competition for political office,” is less transparent because the LDP has been dominant for nearly 70 years (Nillson-Wright & Wallace, 2022). Many experts criticize this system of “immobilism” that leads to stagnant economics, and even Japanese citizens show less confidence in domestic democracy compared to countries like Germany or the US (Solís, 2019). However, as research shows – the reason for this development is cultural, and there is no evidence that the LDP somehow alters the elections (Solís, 2019; Nillson-Wright & Wallace, 2022). With the recent assassination of Shinzo Abe (ex-president of the LDP) on July 8, 2022, the political environment might change drastically (Tan & Murphy, 2022). However, until this moment, the reason for the lack of competition was not political. Hence, Japan should be classified as liberal democracy since it meets all five definitional features of the regime.
Conclusion
Japan’s political system implements most features of democracy, but the presence of a constitutional monarch and the domination of one political party are transparent obstacles to Japan’s classification as a liberal democracy. The current analysis has shown that the primary challenge – lack of political competition – is a cultural-based phenomenon, and there are no direct barriers to fair elections. Hence, Japan meets all criteria of a liberal democracy and should be classified accordingly.
References
Japan: Freedom in the world 2022. (2022). Freedom House. Web.
Nillson-Wright, J., & Wallace, J. (2022). Democracy in Japan. Chatham House. Web.
Siaroff, A. (2013). Comparing political regimes: A thematic introduction to comparative politics (3rd edition). University of Toronto Press.
Schmitter, P. C., & Karl, T. L. (1991). What democracy is … and is not. Journal of Democracy, 2(3), 75-88.
Solis, M. (2019). Japan’s consolidated democracy in an era of populist turbulence. Brookings. Web.
Solís, M. (2021). Japan’s democratic renewal and the survival of the liberal order. Brookings. Web.
Tan, Y., & Murphy, M. (2022). Shinzo Abe: Japan ex-leader assassinated while giving speech. BBC News. Web.