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Japan

    • Names:

        conventional long form:
        none

        conventional short form:
        Japan

    • Digraph:
      JA

    • Type:
      constitutional monarchy

    • Capital:
      Tokyo

    • Administrative divisions:
      47 prefectures; Aichi, Akita, Aomori, Chiba, Ehime, Fukui, Fukuoka, Fukushima, Gifu, Gumma, Hiroshima, Hokkaido, Hyogo, Ibaraki, Ishikawa, Iwate, Kagawa, Kagoshima, Kanagawa, Kochi, Kumamoto, Kyoto, Mie, Miyagi, Miyazaki, Nagano, Nagasaki, Nara, Niigata, Oita, Okayama, Okinawa, Osaka, Saga, Saitama, Shiga, Shimane, Shizuoka, Tochigi, Tokushima, Tokyo, Tottori, Toyama, Wakayama, Yamagata, Yamaguchi, Yamanashi

    • Independence:
      660 BC (traditional founding by Emperor Jimmu)

    • National holiday:
      Birthday of the Emperor, 23 December (1933)

    • Constitution:
      3 May 1947

    • Legal system:
      modeled after European civil law system with English-American influence; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

    • Suffrage:
      20 years of age; universal

    • Executive branch:

        chief of state:
        Emperor AKIHITO (since 7 January 1989)

        head of government:
        Prime Minister Tomiichi MURAYAMA (since 30 June 1994); Deputy Prime Minister Yohei KONO (since 30 June 1994)

        cabinet:
        Cabinet; appointed by the prime minister

    • Legislative branch:
      bicameral Diet (Kokkai) consists of an upper house or House of Councillors and a lower house or House of Representatives

        House of Councillors (Sangi-in):
        half of the members elected every three years to six-year terms; elections last held on 26 July 1992 (next set to be held 23 July 1995); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (252 total) LDP 106, SDPJ 73, Komeito 24, DSP 12, JCP 11, JNP 4, others 16, independents 6; note - the distribution of seats as of 1 April 1995 is as follows - LDP 94, SDPJ 68, Heisei-kai 47, Shin Ryokufu-kai 16, JCP 11, others 15, vacant 1

        House of Representatives (Shugi-in):
        all members elected every four years to four-year terms; elections last held on 18 July 1993 (next to be held by 1997); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (511 total) LDP 223, SDPJ 70, Shinseito 55, Komeito 51, JNP 35, JCP 15, DSP 15, Sakigake 13, others 4, independents 30; note - the distribution of seats as of 1 April 1995 is as follows - LDP 207, Shinshinto 173, SDPJ 70, Sakigake 21, JCP 15, others 19, vacant 6

    • Judicial branch:
      Supreme Court

    • Political parties and leaders:
      Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Yohei KONO, president and Yoshiro MORI, secretary general; Social Democratic Party of Japan (SDPJ), Tomiichi MURAYAMA; Japan Communist Party (JCP), Tetsuzo FUWA, Presidium chairman; Sakigake (Harbinger), Masayoshi TAKEMURA, chairman; Shinshinto (New Frontier Party, NFP), Toshiki KAIFU, chairman and Ichiro OZAWA, secretary general

        note:
        Shinshinto was formed in December 1994 by the merger of Shinseito (Japan Renewal Party, JRP), Komeito (Clean Government Party, CGP), Japan New Party (JNP), Democratic Socialist Party (DSP), and several minor groups; Shin Ryokufu-kai is a parliamentary alliance which exists only in the upper house, it includes remnants of Shinseito, JNP, DSP, and a minor labor group; Heisei-kai is a joint bloc of Shinshinto and Komei members; Komei is a group formed from what remains of Komeito in the upper house

    • Member of:
      AfDB, AG (observer), APEC, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CP, EBRD, ESCAP, FAO, G- 2, G- 5, G- 7, G- 8, G-10, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MTCR, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNOMOZ, UNRWA, UNU, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

    • Diplomatic representation in US:

        chief of mission:
        Ambassador Takakazu KURIYAMA

        chancery:
        2520 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

        telephone:
        [1] (202) 939-6700

        FAX:
        [1] (202) 328-2187

        consulate(s) general:
        Agana (Guam), Anchorage, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Honolulu, Houston, Kansas City (Missouri), Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Portland (Oregon), San Francisco, and Seattle

        consulate(s):
        Saipan (Northern Mariana Islands)

    • US diplomatic representation:

        chief of mission:
        Ambassador Walter F. MONDALE

        embassy:
        10-5, Akasaka 1-chome, Minato-ku (107), Tokyo

        mailing address:
        Unit 45004, Box 258, Tokyo; APO AP 96337-0001

        telephone:
        [81] (3) 3224-5000

        FAX:
        [81] (3) 3505-1862

        consulate(s) general:
        Naha (Okinawa), Osaka-Kobe, Sapporo

        consulate(s):
        Fukuoka, Nagoya

    • Flag:
      white with a large red disk (representing the sun without rays) in the center


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