Long-form name: none

Type: constitutional monarchy

Capital: Tokyo

Administrative divisions: 47 prefectures (fuken, singular and plural); 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

Constitution: 3 May 1947

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

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

Executive branch: emperor, prime minister, Cabinet

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

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

Leaders: Chief of State--Emperor AKIHITO (since 7 January 1989); Head of Government--Prime Minister Kiichi MIYAZAWA (since 5 November 1991)

Political parties and leaders: Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Toshiki KAIFU, president; Keizo OBUCHI, secretary general; Japan Socialist Party (JSP), T. DOI, chairman; Democratic Socialist Party (DSP), Keigo OUCHI, chairman; Japan Communist Party (JCP), K. MIYAMOTO, Presidium chairman; Komeito (Clean Government Party, CGP), Koshiro ISHIDA, chairman

Suffrage: universal at age 20

Elections: House of Councillors--last held on 23 July 1989 (next to be held 23 July 1992); results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(252 total, 100 elected) LDP 109, JSP 67, CGP 21, JCP 14, other 41; House of Representatives--last held on 18 February 1990 (next to be held by February 1993); results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(512 total) LDP 275, JSP 136, CGP 45, JCP 16, DSP 14, other parties 5, independents 21; note--9 independents are expected to join the LDP, 5 the JSP

Communists: about 490,000 registered Communist party members

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

Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Ryohei MURATA; Chancery at 2520 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 939-6700; there are Japanese Consulates General in Agana (Guam), Anchorage, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Honolulu, Houston, Kansas City (Missouri), Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, and Portland (Oregon), and a Consulate in Saipan (Northern Mariana Islands); US--Ambassador Michael H. ARMACOST; Embassy at 10-1, Akasaka 1-chome, Minato-ku (107), Tokyo (mailing address is APO San Francisco 96503); telephone [81] (3) 3224-5000; there are US Consulates General in Naha (Okinawa), Osaka-Kobe, and Sapporo and a Consulate in Fukuoka

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

NOTE: The information regarding Japan on this page is re-published from the 1991 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Japan Government 1991 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Japan Government 1991 should be addressed to the CIA.