Comparison of Electing in Japan and United States Essay Example

together in large numbers. These conventions serve as platforms for selecting candidates who will represent their respective parties. The process of electing representatives involves either state primary elections or selection by state assemblies. In some cases, individuals may also be chosen based on their influence within the party itself (Lijphart 76). The nomination from one's party requires obtaining a majority of delegate votes.In addition, it is customary for delegates to give their chosen presidential nominee the power to select a vice presidential candidate as their running mate in the election.

The general election involves voters selecting a presidential candidate and their vice-president as a unified "ticket", meaning they cannot choose a president from one ticket and a vice-president from another. This election occurs separately in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia, resulting in 51 races. In these races, voters vote for "electors" who have pledged their support to a specific ticket (Delgado 81). These electors collectively make up the "Electoral College." Instead of listing the electors' names on the ballot, voters can select among different tickets tied to specific presidential and vice-presidential candidates.

In contrast, Japan follows an entirely different system where succession to the position of Emperor is based on inheritance rather than elections. Japan's government has clear laws regarding succession that explicitly state women cannot inherit or pass down the throne.

In Japan, the position of honor can only be obtained by a male child of a male beneficiary. However, the next ruler has already been decided. If Emperor Akihito passes away before that, Crown Prince Naruhito will become the next Emperor. Currently, Naruhito has a daughter named Aiko, Princess Toshi who

is not eligible to legally inherit the esteemed position. If Naruhito does not have any sons, his brother Fumihito, Prince Akishino will take over followed by his son, Prince Hisahito of Akishino. The national parliament in Japan is known as the Diet and its members are elected representatives.

The Diet consists of two houses: the House of Councilors (upper house) and the House of Representatives (lower house). The lower house holds more authority. If a bill approved by the lower house is rejected by the upper house, it can still be enacted into law if the lower house reapproves it with a two-thirds majority vote. Japan's parliamentary system resembles England's, and a leader is elected from the House of Representatives through a majority vote.

The executive, typically a leader of the majority party (Delgado 80), serves as the head of the government. In order to coordinate the administration, the leader establishes a cabinet consisting of individuals who are his political allies. The electoral system in Japan differs greatly from that in America.

The House of Representatives in Japan consists of 500 members who serve for four years (Lijphart 47). Out of these, 300 members are elected from single-seat constituencies where voters have one vote and the candidate with the highest number of votes becomes the sole representative. On the other hand, the remaining 200 members are elected through proportional representation within 11 regional alliances. In this particular system, voters do not vote for individual candidates but rather for a party in their specific constituency. The distribution of seats in the Diet is determined by the percentage of votes received by each party.

Each gathering assigns their applicants for races

in view of the level of the vote they get, with the most elevated positioned competitors being granted seats. For instance, in a region with 20 seats, if a gathering gets half of the vote and has 25 competitors, they will get 10 places that will be offered to their main 10 positioned applicants. The upper house, known as the House of Councilors, comprises of 252 individuals who serve for a six-year term. Races are held at regular intervals to fill half of the accessible seats in the upper house. Along these lines, for instance, in 1998 there will be races to fill 126 upper house seats, and afterward in 2001 another arrangement of races will happen to fill the rest of the 126 seats.

In each House of Councilors race (with 126 seats in question), lawmakers are chosen from single-seat voting demographics, multi-situate voting public, and relative representation. In a multi-situate body electorate, there are multiple delegates in every locale. Each voter still only has one vote. Therefore, the top vote getters in each locale are the "victors." For example, in a three-part locale with applicants A, B, C, D, and E running for race, the champs would be B with 52 percent of the vote, C with 25 percent of the vote, and E with 10 percent of the vote. A with 7 percent and D with 6 percent of the vote would not win seats (Wilks et al 65).

Campaigns and election process

The election process in the United States focuses on torch issues and often involves mud-throwing and muckraking attacks. However, candidates are also expected to present manifestoes and express their stance on

the issues (Wilks et al 45). In Japan, politicians usually rely on minor ganbarimasu sound-truck cliches.

Media fact-checkers in Japan are not as determined as they are in the U.S. However, Japan offers quick and painless races with campaign periods lasting about two weeks (Lijphart 35). This is different from the United States where presidential campaigns are long-lasting marathons. In Japan, campaigning is only permitted during election periods. Nevertheless, brand awareness can be maintained by displaying posters of future candidates. Consequently, Japan's sound trucks, which may be louder than cicadas, have more defined life cycles that begin at 8 a.m.

Throughout the entire day until 8 p.m. before the decision, the United States is limited to only two major parties. Regrettably, these parties offer voters little variety beyond a somewhat moderate left or a firmly established right that favors white individuals. Green parties, protest vote parties, and even the communist faction of the Democratic Party are excluded from representation because of tactics like excluding them from public debates and manipulating party tickets.

Critics argue that individuals who vote for candidates outside the two dominant ideologies in the US are wasting their vote and undercutting more viable candidates (Wilks et al 45). The absence of any third-party candidate coming close to winning a presidential election throughout American history significantly limits voter choices and strategic options. On the other hand, Japan solely has one party, namely the Liberal Democratic Party, which has held power for an extended period. This dominance led to the Japanese media coining the term seiken kotai or "political administration change" in 2009 to prepare for the potential rise of the DPJ. However, just three years later,

power shifted back to the LDP even stronger than before, with this trend expected to continue for many years. In contrast to Japan's stable political landscape, U.S. presidential elections are characterized by disorder.

The process of selecting representatives in each state varies, resulting in a diverse and potentially confusing system across the country. Factors such as councils, primaries, and unconventional voting booths contribute to this confusion for the public. In addition, the Electoral College is an outdated system that often results in the U.S. president becoming the primary legislator despite not winning the majority vote. It is important to note that there have been four instances in U.S. history where the popular vote winner lost the election, including Gore versus Bush in 2000. Such situations should not occur in any democratic system, particularly one as influential as that of the United States'. Disorderliness can also be observed within Japan's proportional representation election system.

The purpose of giving additional Diet seats to political gatherings in Japan is to support political gatherings and allow them to have more influence. In Japan, voters cast two votes - one for an individual candidate and one for a party. This system can benefit "zombie candidates" who lose the popular vote in their districts but still secure seats through the party vote. This allows established politicians with strong connections (such as those from long-standing family backgrounds in politics) to indirectly gain power, even if they are not the people's choice.

Work cited

• Lijphart, Arend. Electoral Systems and Party Systems Oxford University Press, USA, 1995
• Delgado, Irene. "How governing experience conditions winner-loser effects.

An empirical analysis of the satisfaction with democracy in Spain after 2011 elections" Electoral Studies 44 (2016): 76-84.