Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
certainly improve. If nuclear power makes a comeback, it will be an uphill
battle for wind power developers.
9.6 POLITICAL INFLUENCES ON POLICY
9.6.1 National Political Structure
Japan's is a parliamentary, representative democracy, wherein the prime
minister serves as head of government and leads a cabinet that directs
the day-to-day operations of government. he prime minister is elected by
Diet (Japan's Parliament) members, and therefore, must retain the coni-
dence of the Diet's House of Representatives in order to remain in oice.
he prime minister's cabinet directs ministerial policy. In other words,
if the prime minister and his cabinet decided that Japan should endorse
50% nuclear power, then the only thing that could stand in the way of suc-
cessfully implementing such a policy would be if a majority of members in
the House of Representatives issued a no-conidence vote, forcing the rul-
ing party to either nominate another candidate for prime minister or call a
national election. In short, under this system, majority governments enjoy
a considerable amount of autonomy.
9.6.2 Governing Party Ideology
he current prime minister is Shinzo Abe of the Liberal Democratic Party
(LDP), which regained power in the December 2012 elections, winning
61% of the seats in the House of Representatives. As mentioned ear-
lier, the LDP has governed Japan for all but four years since 1955. he
LDP's grip on power in Japan has been so dominant that some pundits
have referred to the Japanese political system as a “one and a half party”
democracy.
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Prime Minister Abe is considered to be a conservative and a nationalist.
his is his second go around as prime minister. In 2006, he was chief cabinet
secretary to then-Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, and when Koizumi
stepped down, the LDP members elected Abe as party leader. Abe's initial
tenure only lasted one year. Marred by internal scandal and waning popu-
larity, Abe's one year stint as prime minister was the irst of a series of
one-year prime ministerial tenures. In 2012, he campaigned on a platform
that prioritized policies to spur economic growth. Since his election the
stock market has responded favorably. However, Abe's foreign policy has
been antagonistic toward China, which is now the nation's number one
