several forms of governments
There are several forms of governments that are in existence in the world today. People from different parts of the world form governments, which they believe will work for them. The various forms of governance often have their similarities and a fair share of differences. These similarities and differences are used to group them. The essay will be comparing and contrasting the nature of the crown in the UK with the form of constitutional monarchy established in Japan.
In the UK, the head of the state, currently Queen Elizabeth 2, exercises power over the state, but the land constitution dictates the extent of her ability. Her role in the country is mostly ceremonial and symbolic. She focuses mainly on the unity of the nation. Similarly, the head of state of the constitutional Monarchy in Japan, his Majesty Naruhito, serves a symbolic role and has no political role. He is also seen as a symbol of the state and unity of the people (Pemunta, et al nd). There is a similarity in the part of the heads of state in these governments. The crown in the UK is hereditary. It is passed on to the successor, who must be part of the royal family.
The constitutional developments made in the seventh century dictated the basis by which the crown shall be passed on. Hereditary succession is also the case in the constitutional monarchy in Japan. It is even considered to be the oldest hereditary monarchy in the world. A string of power is given only to people of royal blood. Here we see similarities in hereditary succession.
In the UK, the highest authoritative legislature is parliament. The parliament is composed of three houses—the House of Lords, The House of Commons, and the Monarch. The monarchy is not the ultimate power of the state. In Japan, the Diet is the highest authoritative power and the only law-
Making section of the country. The diet is composed of two houses that is the House of Councilors and the House of Representatives. The head of state is not the highest authoritative power in the country.
In Japan’s constitutional monarchy, the prime minister is the head of the government. The prime minister is also the head of the cabinet, which contains a maximum of fourteen ministers, but three more ministers can be appointed if the need arises (Abubakar et al 370). In the UK, the head of the government is also the prime minister. Elections are held every five years, and the leader of the party that has majority seats in the parliament becomes the Prime minister.
The form of government in the UK is a constitutional monarchy. In that, the head of state is not the government’s head thus does not have absolute power. The leader of the country welcomes the elected prime minister to form the government. Japan also has a constitutional monarchy in that the muscles of the head of state, the Emperor is limited and directed by the constitution. In Japan, the government is formed by the prime minister.
In the UK, general elections are held after every five years. Here members of parliament are elected by the people. The leader of the party that wins the election becomes the prime minister. The head of state then welcomes the prime minister. Similarly, every few years, the public goes to the polls and votes for a National Diet member in Japan. In both forms of government, some elections are held.
The head of state of the UK, the Queen, can deny approval to the elected government’s decisions. Meaning the Queen is still empowered by the constitution to act against the prime minister’s advice, cabinet, and parliament. However, the head of the state’s role in Japan does not give him the power to go against the elected government’s consent. He or she must follow the directives of the elected government.
The constitution of Japan states that the Emperor of the land has duties to attend. There are roles he or she has to perform, such as opening the parliament, attending public events, and cultural events. However, the head of state in the UK has a choice to be ceremonial. She does all her ceremonial by choice since the constitution does not show the role of being ceremonial. The point above shows the contrast between the Japanese constitutional monarchy and that of the UK.
The title for the head of the state of the UK is King or Queen, depending on the gender. The monarch is the oldest organ of the government in the UK. However, the head of state in Japan is Emperor if he is a male and empress if she is a female. The Japanese monarch system is also older than that of the crown monarchy. Here we see another difference between the Japanese constitutional monarchy and the UK monarchy.
The constitutional monarchy in Japan and the nature of the crown in the UK almost look similar, but we see the small differences in government at a closer look. In summary, Japan’s constitutional monarchy has no political power and must follow the elected government directives. However, this is not the case with the nature of the crown in the UK. Head of state, there is still left with some political power and a choice to ignore the elected government’s directives, which seldom happens.