Governments of Asia
SS7CG7 a. Compare and Contrast the federal republic of the Republic of India, the communist state of the People’s Republic of China, and the constitutional monarchy of Japan, distinguishing the form of leadership and the role of the citizen in terms of voting rights and personal freedoms.
Distribution of Power
Unitary
Confederation
Federal
Confederation System
Local governments have all the power
Power of the central government is limited to whatever the local governments are willing to give it
Examples:
United Nations
Confederate States of America
Federal System
Power is shared among different levels of government
States have power that the federal does not have (property taxes, sales tax, etc…) and the federal has powers that the states do not have (declare war, make treaties, etc…)
Examples:
India
USA
Unitary System The Central government holds nearly all
the power, local governments (states, counties, provinces, etc…) are under the control of the central government
Elected officials can make and enforce laws without the opinions of those at the lower levels of Government
Examples: People’s Republic of China
Japan (Constitutional Monarchy)
Forms of Citizen Participation
Autocratic
Oligarchic
Democratic
Democratic
The people play a large role in the decisions of the country
If a person feels that their rights have been violated, they can get the government to correct the situation
Examples: India
Japan
South Korea
Types of Democratic Government
Parliamentary: Election of the legislature (Parliament)
People vote for Parliament, then Parliament votes for the Prime Minister.
The Prime Minister serves as Head of Government
Presidential (Congressional): The President is chosen separately from the
legislature
The President serves as both Chief of State and Head of Government
Oligarchy
“government by the few”
A political party or other group makes all the decisions of government
Similar to an Autocratic government, but rule is shared among a small group of people instead of 1 ruler
Examples:
People’s Republic of China (ruled by the CCP)
Autocratic
The ruler has absolute power to do whatever they want and can make and enforce whatever laws they choose
People have no power to disagree with the government
Examples:
Dictatorships
North Korea
Distribution of Power (Power of the Central Government)
Forms of Citizen Participation (Amount of personal
freedom and participation in Government)
AutocraticOligarchicDemocratic
UnitaryConfederation Federal
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Japan People’s
Republic
of ChinaRepublic of India
India
India is a federal republic and uses a parliamentary system.
The country is secular (favors no special religion), even though the majority of the population are Hindu
The government has
three main branches.
India
The executive branch consists of: the President (chief of state),
the Prime Minister (head of the government)
the Council of Ministers (make up the cabinet)
The legislative branch is a bicameral (2 law-making groups) parliament:
Rajya Sabha or Council of States
the Lok Sabha, or House of the People.
The judicial branch is made up of the Supreme Court consisting of:
Chief Justice
25 other judges.
India
The President’s duties are mostly
ceremonial
The Prime Minister is determined by the parliamentary majority in the House of the People.
The Council of Ministers must answer to the House of the People.
Indians 18 and older can vote.
China China’s Communist party (CCP) leads the
nation.
Under China’s constitution, the highest organ of state power is the National People’s Congress (NPC).
Religion is not encouraged
by the government
China has three
branches of government.
China
The executive branch includes: the President (head of state)
the Vice President
the State Council
the Premier (head of government).
The legislative branch is unicameral (one law-making group) consisting of National People’s Congress (NPC).
The judicial branch includes: Supreme People’s Court.
China
The NPC meets for two weeks every year.
These meetings are not open to the public
The State Council presents new policies, laws, budgets, and personnel changes to the NPC.
The NPC can make changes to what the State Council has recommended.
China
The largest political party is the CCP with as many as 70 million members.
Eight minor political parties operate under Communist supervision.
The CCP is highly authoritarian (autocratic), meaning it completely controls the Chinese government.
The CCP sets policies that the government must enforce.
China
Men and women 18 and older can vote.
There are no votes cast in Chinese elections for anyone other than the candidates approved by the government
The role of the citizen (including what job and education he/she will have) is determined by the state
Japan
Japan has a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary form of government.
The government is secular
The government has three branches.
Japan
The executive branch includes a cabinetconsisting of:
the Prime Minister (head of government)
the Ministers of State who are all civilians.
The legislative branch is the bicameral Diet (two law-making groups):
the House of Representatives
the House of Councilors
The judicial branch includes:
the Supreme Court (the highest judicial authority).
Japan
Ministers are appointed or removed by the prime minister.
The prime minister is chosen by his colleagues in the Diet, the country’s
parliament.
Japan
Men and women 20 and older can vote
The Japanese people are in control of their nation’s sovereignty, but Japan still has an
emperor, who is the symbol of the state.
He is basically a figurehead without much official power.
Summarize…
Country Type of Government/ Head of Government
Distribution of Power
Citizen Participation
Voting Age
