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80-589: The Japan Patent Office ( 特許庁 , Tokkyochō , JPO ) is a Japanese governmental agency in charge of industrial property right affairs, under the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry . The Japan Patent Office is located in Kasumigaseki , Chiyoda, Tokyo and is one of the world's largest patent offices . The Japan Patent Office's mission is to promote the growth of the Japanese economy and industry by administering

160-547: A Shadow Shogun . Unlike his European counterparts , the emperor is not the source of sovereign power and the government does not act under his name. Instead, the emperor represents the state and appoints other high officials in the name of the state, in which the Japanese people hold sovereignty. Article 5 of the Constitution, in accordance with the Imperial Household Law , allows a regency to be established in

240-632: A generalissimo . Although the Emperor was the sovereign who appointed the Shōgun, his roles were ceremonial and he took no part in governing the country. This is often compared to the present role of the Emperor, whose official role is to appoint the Prime Minister. The return of political power to the Emperor (to the Imperial Court) in 1868 meant the resignation of Shōgun Tokugawa Yoshinobu , agreeing to "be

320-560: A state of emergency , and may also dissolve the Diet's House of Representatives at will. The prime minister presides over the Cabinet and appoints, or dismisses, the other Cabinet ministers . Both houses of the National Diet designates the Prime Minister with a ballot cast under the run-off system. Under the Constitution, should both houses not agree on a common candidate, then a joint committee

400-399: A " catch-all " party. The LDP members hold a variety of positions that could be broadly defined as being to the right of main opposition parties. Many of its ministers, including former Prime Ministers Fumio Kishida , Yoshihide Suga and Shinzo Abe , are/were affiliated with the parliamentary league of Nippon Kaigi , a far-right ultraconservative lobby group. In Japanese politics,

480-533: A brief period in 1993. Since that time, numerous party members have left to join other parties or form new ones, including Your Party ( みんなの党 , Minna no Tō ) , the Sunrise Party of Japan ( たちあがれ日本 , Tachiagare Nippon ) and the New Renaissance Party ( 新党改革 , Shintō Kaikaku ) . The party had some success in the 2010 House of Councilors election , netting 13 additional seats and denying

560-481: A government, and Hashimoto formed a solidly LDP minority government. Through a series of floor-crossings, the LDP regained its majority within a year. The party was practically unopposed until 1998 when the opposition Democratic Party of Japan was formed. This marked the beginning of the opposing parties' gains in momentum, especially in the 2003 and 2004 Parliamentary Elections, that would not slow for another 12 years. In

640-468: A term of four years or less; with no limits imposed on the number of terms the Prime Minister may hold. The Prime Minister heads the Cabinet and exercises "control and supervision" of the executive branch, and is the head of government and commander-in-chief of the Japan Self-Defense Forces . The prime minister is vested with the power to present bills to the Diet, to sign laws, to declare

720-515: A victory in the 2005 Japanese general election , the LDP held an absolute majority in the Japanese House of Representatives and formed a coalition government with the New Komeito Party . Shinzo Abe succeeded then-Prime Minister Junichirō Koizumi as the president of the party on 20 September 2006 . The party suffered a major defeat in the election of 2007, however, and lost its majority in

800-563: Is Shigeru Ishiba , since 27 September 2024. The LDP was formed in 1955 as a merger between two of Japan's political parties, the Liberal Party ( 自由党 , Jiyutō , 1950–1955, led by Taketora Ogata ) and the Japan Democratic Party ( 日本民主党 , Nihon Minshutō , 1954–1955, led by Ichirō Hatoyama ) , both conservative parties, as a united front against the then popular Japan Socialist Party ( 日本社会党 , Nipponshakaitō ) , now

880-582: Is 7.8% at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, 8% at the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, and only 1.3% at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. On 12 February 2021, Tetsushi Sakamoto was appointed as the Minister of Loneliness to alleviate social isolation and loneliness across different age groups and genders. The emperor of Japan is the head of the Imperial Family and

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960-590: Is a series of ministry-affiliated government agencies and bureaus responsible for government procedures and activities as of 23 August 2022. The legislative branch organ of Japan is the National Diet ( 国会 ) . It is a bicameral legislature, composing of a lower house, the House of Representatives , and an upper house, the House of Councillors . Empowered by the Constitution to be "the highest organ of State power" and

1040-400: Is allowed to be established to agree on the matter; specifically within a period of ten days, exclusive of the period of recess. However, if both houses still do not agree to each other, the decision made by the House of Representatives is deemed to be that of the National Diet. Upon designation, the Prime Minister is presented with their commission, and then formally appointed to office by

1120-624: Is ceremonial and he has no powers related to the Government. Instead, it is the Cabinet , comprising the Prime Minister and the Ministers of State , that directs and controls the government and the civil service . The Cabinet has the executive power and is formed by the prime minister, who is the head of government . The Prime Minister is nominated by the National Diet and appointed to office by

1200-573: Is often described as a big tent conservative party, including factions that range from moderate conservatism to right-wing nationalism . Although lacking a cohesive political ideology, the party's platform has historically supported increased defense spending and, since the 21st century, maintaining close relations with its Indo-Pacific allies to counter the rise of China as a superpower. The party's history and internal composition has been characterized by intense factionalism among its members since its emergence in 1955. The incumbent party president

1280-523: Is the central government of Japan . It consists of legislative , executive and judiciary branches and functions under the framework established by the Constitution of Japan , adopted in 1947 and written by American officials in the Allied occupation of Japan after World War II . Japan is a unitary state , containing forty-seven administrative divisions , with the Emperor as its head of state . His role

1360-457: Is the only person that has the authority to appoint the prime minister , even though the Diet has the power to designate the person fitted for the position. One such example can be prominently seen in the 2009 Dissolution of the House of Representatives . The House was expected to be dissolved on the advice of the prime minister, but was temporarily unable to do so for the next general election, as both

1440-483: Is usually associated with conservatism, Japanese nationalism and being on the political right of the political spectrum . The LDP has been described as a variety of disparate ideologies such as conservative-liberal , liberal-conservative , social-conservative , ultranationalist , and ultraconservative . The party though has not espoused a well-defined, unified ideology or political philosophy , due to its long-term government, and has been described as

1520-465: The 1955 System —except between 1993 and 1994, and again from 2009 to 2012. The LDP was formed in 1955 as a merger of two conservative parties, the Liberal Party and the Japan Democratic Party , and was initially led by prime minister Ichirō Hatoyama . The LDP supported Japan's alliance with the United States and fostered close links between Japanese business and government, playing a major role in

1600-558: The 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, and ending in 1972 with Japanese neutrality in the Vietnam War and with the beginning of the Japanese asset price bubble . By the end of the 1970s, the LDP went into its decline, where even though it held the reins of government many scandals plagued the party, while the opposition (now joined with the Kōmeitō (1962–1998) ) gained momentum. In 1976, in the wake of

1680-559: The 2009 election . The party regained control of the government in a landslide victory at the 2012 election under Shinzo Abe . After the 2024 and 2022 elections the LDP currently holds 191 seats in the House of Representatives and 119 seats in the House of Councillors ; the party has governed in coalition with Komeito since 1999. Since the 2017 general election , the Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP) has been its primary opponent in national politics. The LDP

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1760-429: The Cabinet is the source of executive power and most of its power is exercised directly by the prime minister , several of its powers are exercised through the Emperor. The powers exercised via the Emperor, as stipulated by Article 7 of the Constitution, are: These powers are exercised in accordance with the binding advice of the Cabinet. The emperor is known to hold the nominal ceremonial authority. For example, he

1840-555: The DPJ a majority. Abe became the president again in September 2012 after a five-way race. The LDP returned to power with its ally New Komeito after winning a clear majority in the lower house general election on 16 December 2012 after just over three years in opposition. Shinzo Abe became Prime Minister for the second time preceded by Yoshihiko Noda who was the leader of the DPJ. In July 2015,

1920-696: The Edo period , the Tokugawa shogunate discouraged inventions in order to preserve the stability of the feudal society . In fact, Tokugawa Yoshimune , the eighth shōgun of the Tokugawa dynasty, decreed in 1721 the "Ban on Novelty" (新規御法度 shinki gohatto ), which was intended to prohibit everything novel, especially clothing of rich design. In 1868, the Tokugawa shogunate ended and a new reformist government took its place (the Meiji Restoration ). The government studied

2000-462: The Emperor . As a candidate designated by the Diet, the prime minister is required to report to the Diet whenever demanded. The prime minister must also be both a civilian and a member of either house of the Diet. The Cabinet of Japan ( 内閣 ) consists of the Ministers of State and the Prime Minister. The members of the Cabinet are appointed by the Prime Minister, and under the Cabinet Law,

2080-460: The House of Councilors being the upper house , and the House of Representatives being the lower house . The members of both houses of the Diet are directly elected by the people , who are the source of sovereignty . The Diet is defined as the supreme organ of sovereignty in the Constitution. The Supreme Court and other lower courts make up the Judicial branch and have all the judicial powers in

2160-790: The IP5 along with the USPTO, EPO, the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO), and China's State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO). The JPO, SIPO and KIPO are referred to as "Asian Trilateral Offices". Government of Japan Naruhito [REDACTED] Fumihito [REDACTED] Shigeru Ishiba ( LDP ) Second Ishiba Cabinet ( LDP – Komeito coalition ) [REDACTED] [REDACTED] Fukushiro Nukaga Kōichirō Genba [REDACTED] Masakazu Sekiguchi Hiroyuki Nagahama Saburo Tokura Kazuo Ueda The Government of Japan

2240-785: The Lockheed bribery scandals , a handful of younger LDP Diet members broke away and established their own party, the New Liberal Club (Shin Jiyu Kurabu). A decade later, however, it was reabsorbed by the LDP. By the late 1970s, the Japan Socialist Party, the Japanese Communist Party, and the Komeito along with the international community used major pressure to have Japan switch diplomatic ties from Taiwan (Republic of China) to

2320-646: The National Diet Building , the Imperial Palace , the Supreme Court, the Prime Minister's Office and the ministries are all located. Before the Meiji Restoration , Japan was ruled by the government of a successive military shōgun . During this period, effective power of the government resided in the Shōgun, who officially ruled the country in the name of the Emperor. The Shōgun were the hereditary military governors, with their modern rank equivalent to

2400-841: The Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT). In 1980, the JPO adopted the International Patent Classification , discarding its own patent classification. In 1989 the JPO moved into its current headquarters in Kasumigaseki. The JPO cooperates with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and the European Patent Office (EPO) as one of the Trilateral Patent Offices . It is also part of

2480-713: The People's Republic of China . In 1983, the LDP was a founding member of the International Democracy Union . The LDP managed to consistently win elections for over three decades, and the LDP's decades in power allowed it to establish a highly stable process of policy formation. This process would not have been possible if other parties had secured parliamentary majorities. LDP strength was based on an enduring, although not unchallenged, coalition of big business, small business, agriculture, professional groups, and other interests. Elite bureaucrats collaborated closely with

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2560-620: The Prussian model of the time. A new aristocracy known as the kazoku was established. It merged the ancient court nobility of the Heian period , the kuge , and the former daimyō , feudal lords subordinate to the shōgun . It also established the Imperial Diet , consisting of the House of Representatives and the House of Peers . Members of the House of Peers were made up of the Imperial Family ,

2640-585: The Social Democratic Party ( 社会民主党 , Shakaiminshutō ) . The party won the following elections, and Japan's first conservative government with a majority was formed by 1955. It would hold majority government until 1993. The LDP began with reforming Japan's international relations , ranging from entry into the United Nations, to establishing diplomatic ties with the Soviet Union . Its leaders in

2720-496: The assassination of Shinzo Abe over connections between various party members and the Unification Church, the party had a good showing in the 2023 Japanese unified local elections , winning over half of the 2260 prefectural assembly seats being contested and six governorship positions. From 18 to 19 January 2024, following a scandal involving failure to report and misuse of ¥600 million in campaign funds by members of

2800-492: The upper house for the first time in its history. The LDP remained the largest party in both houses of the Diet , until 29 July 2007, when the LDP lost its majority in the upper house . In a party leadership election held on 23 September 2007, the LDP elected Yasuo Fukuda as its president. Fukuda defeated Tarō Asō for the post, receiving 330 votes against 197 votes for Aso. However Fukuda resigned suddenly in September 2008, and Asō became Prime Minister after winning

2880-603: The "Patent Monopoly Act" (專賣特許條例 senbai tokkyo jōrei ) was enacted. In 1899, Japan acceded to the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property . Takahashi Korekiyo was the first commissioner of the JPO. The first patent was granted to Hotta Zuisho (堀田 瑞松), a lacquerware craftsman, on August 14, 1885. The patent granted to him was for an anticorrosive paint containing lacquer , which effectively protected ship bottoms from corrosion . In 1978, Japan acceded to

2960-570: The 1950s also made the LDP the main government party, and in all the elections of the 1950s, the LDP won the majority vote, with the only other opposition coming from left-wing politics , made up of the Japan Socialist Party and the Japanese Communist Party . From the 1950s to the early 1970s, the United States Central Intelligence Agency spent millions of dollars to aid the LDP against leftist parties such as

3040-449: The 80-seat mark. Yohei Kono became the president of the LDP preceded by Kiichi Miyazawa , he was the first non-prime minister LDP leader as the leader of the opposition. In 1994, the Japan Socialist Party and New Party Sakigake left the ruling coalition, joining the LDP in the opposition. The remaining members of the coalition tried to stay in power as the minority Hata Cabinet under the leadership of Tsutomu Hata , but this failed when

3120-562: The Cabinet cannot be subject to legal action without the consent of the Prime Minister; however, without impairing the right to take legal action. As of 14 December 2023, the makeup of the Cabinet: The ministries of Japan ( 中央省庁 , Chuo shōcho ) consist of eleven executive ministries and the Cabinet Office . Each ministry is headed by a Minister of State , which are mainly senior legislators, and are appointed from among

3200-508: The Emperor and Empress were visiting Canada . In this manner, the emperor 's modern role is often compared to those of the Shogunate period and much of Japan's history , whereby the emperor held great symbolic authority but had little political power ; which is often held by others nominally appointed by the emperor himself. Today, a legacy has somewhat continued for a retired prime minister who still wields considerable power, to be called

3280-467: The Emperor. The current cabinet is Second Ishiba Cabinet , was formed on 11 November 2024, is led by the prime minister Shigeru Ishiba who assumed office on 1 October 2024. The country has had a Liberal Democratic – Komeito coalition minority government since 2024 . The National Diet is the legislature , the organ of the Legislative branch. The Diet is bicameral , consisting of two houses with

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3360-518: The Great Powers and adopted a national policy of emulating them in various government areas. Industrial property rights were recognized as a means for catching up to Western governments. The first patent law in Japan was thus established in 1871, though it was abandoned in the next year. Today, the founding date of Japanese patent law and of the Japan's patent office is considered to be April 18, 1885, when

3440-476: The House of Councillors for the first time in 34 years in the 1989 election . The LDP managed to hold on to power in 1990 Japanese general election despite some losses. In June 1993, 10 members of the party's liberal-conservative faction split to form the New Party Sakigake . The end of the postwar miracle economy, the Japanese asset price bubble and other reasons such as the recruit scandal led to

3520-528: The Kazoku, and those nominated by the Emperor, while members of the House of Representatives were elected by direct male suffrage. Despite clear distinctions between powers of the executive branch and the Emperor in the Meiji Constitution, ambiguity and contradictions in the Constitution eventually led to a political crisis . It also devalued the notion of civilian control over the military , which meant that

3600-463: The LDP and the Socialists, bitter rivals for 40 years, formed a majority coalition. The Murayama Cabinet was dominated by the LDP, but it allowed Socialist Tomiichi Murayama to occupy the Prime Minister's chair until 1996 when the LDP's Ryutaro Hashimoto took over. In the 1996 election , the LDP made some gains but was still 12 seats short of a majority. However, no other party could possibly form

3680-580: The LDP losing its majority in 1993 Japanese general election held in July of that year. Seven opposition parties – including several formed by LDP dissidents – formed the Hosokawa government headed by Japan New Party leader and LDP dissident Morihiro Hosokawa , who became the Prime Minister preceded by Kiichi Miyazawa . However, the LDP was still far and away the largest party in the House of Representatives, with well over 200 seats; no other individual party crossed

3760-539: The Liberal Democratic Party of Japan's conservative Seiwa Seisaku Kenkyūkai and Shisuikai factions in violation of Japanese campaign finance and election law, three factions (Seiwa Seisaku Kenkyūkai, Shisuikai, in addition to PM Kishida's Kōchikai ) all announced their intention to dissolve entirely in hopes of restoring public trust. Several LDP lawmakers were indicted, including incumbent lawmakers Yasutada Ōno and Yaichi Tanigawa , who both resigned from

3840-410: The Prime Minister to appoint some non-elected Diet officials. The Cabinet is required to resign en masse while still continuing its functions, till the appointment of a new Prime Minister, when the following situation arises: Conceptually deriving legitimacy from the Diet, whom it is responsible to, the Cabinet exercises its power in two different ways. In practice, much of its power is exercised by

3920-423: The Prime Minister, while others are exercised nominally by the Emperor. Article 73 of the Constitution of Japan expects the Cabinet to perform the following functions, in addition to general administration: Under the Constitution, all laws and cabinet orders must be signed by the competent Minister and countersigned by the Prime Minister, before being formally promulgated by the Emperor . Also, all members of

4000-517: The Socialists and the Communists , although this was not revealed until the mid-1990s when it was exposed by The New York Times . Details remain classified, while available documents show connections to prime ministers Nobusuke Kishi and Eisaku Satō from the Satō–Kishi–Abe family . For the majority of the 1960s, the LDP (and Japan) were led by Eisaku Satō , beginning with the hosting of

4080-473: The balloting to some 1.5 million LDP members. The process was so costly and acrimonious, however, that it was subsequently abandoned in favor of the old " smoke-filled room " method—so-called in allusion to the notion of closed discussions held in small rooms filled with tobacco smoke . After the party president, the most important LDP officials are the Secretary-General ( kanjicho ), the chairmen of

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4160-533: The case of the LDP administration under the 1955 System in Japan, their degree of economic control was stronger than that of Western conservative governments; it was also positioned closer to social democracy . Since the 1970s, the oil crisis has slowed economic growth and increased the resistance of urban citizens to policies that favor farmers. To maintain its dominant position, the LDP sought to expand party supporters by incorporating social security policies and pollution measures advocated by opposition parties. It

4240-456: The ceremonial head of state . He is defined by the Constitution to be "the symbol of the State and of the unity of the people". However, his role is entirely ceremonial and representative in nature. As explicitly stated in article 4 of the Constitution, he has no powers related to government. Article 6 of the Constitution of Japan delegates the Emperor the following ceremonial roles: While

4320-406: The change of factions, their history can be traced back to their 1955 roots, a testament to the stability and institutionalized nature of Liberal Democratic Party factions. The party's history and internal composition have been characterized by intense factionalism ever since its emergence in 1955, with its parliamentary members currently split among six factions, each of which vies for influence in

4400-669: The convention is to classify the Liberal Democratic Party and the Japanese Communist Party as occupying the conservative and progressive ends of the ideological spectrum respectively. However, this classification has faced challenges, especially among younger generations, since the 1990s. The LDP has also been compared to the corporatist -inspired model of conservative parties, such as the Christian Democratic Union of Germany , in its relative openness towards economic interventionism , mixed market coordination and public expenditure , when compared to neoliberal orthodoxy. In

4480-449: The country's economic miracle from the 1960s to 1980s under prime ministers including Hayato Ikeda , Eisaku Satō , Kakuei Tanaka , and Yasuhiro Nakasone . Scandals and economic difficulties led to the LDP losing power between 1993 and 1994, and governing under a non-LDP prime minister from 1994 to 1996. The LDP regained stability during the premiership of Junichiro Koizumi in the 2000s before achieving its worst-ever electoral result in

4560-473: The dramatically paced 2003 House of Representatives elections , the LDP won 237 seats, while the DPJ won 177 seats. In the 2004 House of Councillors elections, in the seats up for grabs, the LDP won 49 seats and the DPJ 50, though in all seats (including those uncontested) the LDP still had a total of 114. Because of this electoral loss, former Secretary-General Shinzo Abe turned in his resignation, but Party President Koizumi merely demoted him in rank, and he

4640-565: The emperor's name, should the emperor be unable to perform his duties. On November 20, 1989, the Supreme Court ruled it doesn't have judicial power over the emperor . The Imperial House of Japan is said to be the oldest continuing hereditary monarchy in the world. According to the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki , Japan was founded by the Imperial House in 660 BC by Emperor Jimmu. Emperor Jimmu

4720-416: The era name of Reiwa. Fumihito is the heir presumptive to the Chrysanthemum Throne . The executive branch of Japan is headed by the prime minister . The prime minister is the head of the Cabinet , and is designated by the legislative organ, the National Diet . The Cabinet consists of the Ministers of State and may be appointed or dismissed by the Prime Minister at any time. Explicitly defined to be

4800-457: The instrument for carrying out" the Emperor's orders. This event restored the country to Imperial rule and the proclamation of the Empire of Japan . In 1889, the Meiji Constitution was adopted in a move to strengthen Japan to the level of western nations, resulting in the first parliamentary system in Asia. It provided a form of mixed constitutional - absolute monarchy (a semi-constitutional monarchy ), with an independent judiciary, based on

4880-475: The laws relating to patents , utility models , designs , and trademarks . Copyright affairs are administered by the Agency for Cultural Affairs . The current Commissioner of the JPO is Koichi Hamano. The Japan Patent Office is headed by a commissioner and consists of seven departments: The commissioner of the JPO is appointed from among the higher officials of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and generally serves for at most two years. During

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4960-557: The lower house for the first time since 2009 , with the LDP suffering its second-worst result in its history, securing only 191 seats. The Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP), the main opposition party led by former Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda , achieved its best result in its history, increasing its seat count from 96 to 148. This was the first general election in Japan since the 1955 election wherein no party secured at least 200 seats. 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s Defunct Defunct The LDP

5040-424: The members of the Cabinet by the Prime Minister. The Cabinet Office, formally headed by the Prime Minister, is an agency that handles the day-to-day affairs of the Cabinet. The ministries are the most influential part of the daily-exercised executive power, and since few ministers serve for more than a year or so necessary to grab hold of the organisation, most of its power lies within the senior bureaucrats . Below

5120-449: The military could develop and exercise a great influence on politics. Following the end of World War II , the present Constitution of Japan was adopted. It replaced the previous Imperial rule with a form of Western-style liberal democracy . As of 2020, the Japan Research Institute found the national government is mostly analog, because only 7.5% (4,000 of the 55,000) administrative procedures can be completed entirely online. The rate

5200-414: The number of members of the Cabinet appointed, excluding the Prime Minister, must be fourteen or less, but may only be increased to nineteen should a special need arise. Article 68 of the Constitution states that all members of the Cabinet must be civilians and the majority of them must be chosen from among the members of either house of the National Diet . The precise wording leaves an opportunity for

5280-437: The only "sole law-making organ of the State", its houses are both directly elected under a parallel voting system and is ensured by the Constitution to have no discrimination on the qualifications of each members; whether be it based on "race, creed, sex, social status, family origin, education, property or income". The National Diet, therefore, reflects the sovereignty of the people; a principle of popular sovereignty whereby

5360-486: The party and interest groups in drafting and implementing policy. In a sense, the party's success was a result not of its internal strength but of its weakness. It lacked a strong, nationwide organization or consistent ideology with which to attract voters. Its leaders were rarely decisive, charismatic, or popular. But it functioned efficiently as a locus for matching interest group money and votes with bureaucratic power and expertise. This arrangement resulted in corruption, but

5440-476: The party and the government. The previous Prime Minister and party president, Fumio Kishida , was the leader of the now defunct Kōchikai faction from 2012 until his resignation in 2023. Current factions in the LDP include: At the apex of the LDP's formal organization is the president ( 総裁 , sōsai ) , who can serve three three-year terms. (The presidential term was increased from two years to three years in 2002 and from two to three terms in 2017). When

5520-407: The party could claim credit for helping to create economic growth and a stable, middle-class Japan. Despite winning the 1986 general election by a landslide, by the end of 1980s, the LDP started to suffer setbacks in elections due to unpopular policies on trade liberalisation and tax, as well as a scandal involving their leader Sōsuke Uno and the Recruit scandal . The party lost its majority in

5600-457: The party following their indictments. On 19 October 2024, Atsunobu Usuda, age 49, was arrested in Tokyo after attacking the Liberal Democratic Party headquarters with firebombs and crashing into the prime minister's residence, amid rising public frustration with the ruling party ahead of the 27 October 2024 election. In the 2024 Japanese general election , the governing LDP and its coalition partner Komeito lost their parliamentary majority in

5680-416: The party has a parliamentary majority, the party president is the prime minister . The choice of party president is formally that of a party convention composed of Diet members and local LDP figures, but in most cases, they merely approved the joint decision of the most powerful party leaders. To make the system more democratic, Prime Minister Takeo Fukuda introduced a "primary" system in 1978, which opened

5760-498: The party pushed for expanded military powers to fight in foreign conflict through Shinzo Abe and the support of Komeito . Yoshihide Suga took over from Shinzo Abe in September 2020 after a three-way race . After Suga declined to run for re-election, successor Fumio Kishida led the party to a victory in the October 2021 Japanese general election after a four-way race , defying expectations. Despite support dropping in 2022 after

5840-420: The presidency of the LDP in a five-way election . In the 2009 general election , the LDP was roundly defeated, winning only 118 seats—easily the worst defeat of a sitting government in modern Japanese history, and also the first real transfer of political power in the post-war era. Accepting responsibility for this severe defeat, Aso announced his resignation as LDP president on election night. Sadakazu Tanigaki

5920-421: The source of executive power , it is in practice, however, mainly exercised by the prime minister. The practice of its powers is responsible to the Diet, and as a whole, should the Cabinet lose confidence and support to be in office by the Diet, the Diet may dismiss the Cabinet en masse with a motion of no confidence . The Prime Minister of Japan ( 内閣総理大臣 ) is designated by the National Diet and serves

6000-418: The state. The Supreme Court has ultimate judicial authority to interpret the constitution and the power of judicial review . The judicial branch is independent from the executive and the legislative branches. Judges are nominated or appointed by the Cabinet and never removed by the executive or the legislature except during impeachment . The Government of Japan is based in the capital of Tokyo , where

6080-425: The supreme power lies within, in this case, the Japanese people . Liberal Democratic Party (Japan) Alternative symbol The Liberal Democratic Party ( 自由民主党 , Jiyū-Minshutō ) , frequently abbreviated to LDP or Jimintō ( 自民党 ) , is a major conservative and nationalist political party in Japan. Since its foundation in 1955, the LDP has been in power almost continuously—a period called

6160-414: Was elected leader of the party on 28 September 2009 , after a three-way race, becoming only the second LDP leader who was not simultaneously prime minister. The party's support continued to decline, with prime ministers changing rapidly, and in the 2009 House of Representatives elections the LDP lost its majority, winning only 118 seats, marking the only time they would be out of the majority other than

6240-440: Was also historically closely positioned to corporate statism . During the 2021 general election, the party released the LDP policy manifesto, titled "Create a new era together with you", which included support for policies such as: Since the genesis of the Liberal Democratic Party in 1955, history and internal composition has been characterized by intense factionalism among its members since its emergence in 1955. Despite

6320-533: Was replaced by Tsutomu Takebe . On 10 November 2003, the New Conservative Party ( Hoshu Shintō ) was absorbed into the LDP, a move which was largely because of the New Conservative Party's poor showing in the 2003 general election. The LDP formed a coalition with the conservative Buddhist New Komeito (party founded by Soka Gakkai ) from Obuchi Second shuffle Cabinet (1999–2000). After

6400-499: Was the first Emperor of Japan and the ancestor of all of the Emperors that followed. He is, according to Japanese mythology , the direct descendant of Amaterasu, the sun goddess of the native Shinto religion, through Ninigi , his great-grandfather. The current emperor of Japan is Naruhito . He was officially enthroned on May 1, 2019, following the abdication of his father. He is styled as His Imperial Majesty, and his reign bears

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