There are many forms of government. Categorizing government systems largely depends on the characteristics of governance in focus, i.e. source of power, method of administration, etc. Understanding the “forms of government” provides insight for how the Japanese system of government relates to the design and construction industry, processes and culture.
Many modern states are large enough that population and geographic considerations impact a government’s ability to operate. Generally, there is a combination of a national and multiple regional or local governments.
From the standpoint of the relationship of national and regional governance, there are three types of systems.
Each system aims to maximize benefit to the citizens, improve efficiency, preserve the balance in national and regional identity, etc. But the difference in relationships between national and local governments leads to different dynamics.
The bond between central and regional governments is weakest in confederal systems, where the central government authority is delegated by the sovereign regional governments. Typically, confederal systems are formed by multiple sovereign regions joining together via treaty to form a confederal government. These regional governments can rescind that power at any time and generally are only committed if the relationship is beneficial. In these systems the power and scope of the confederal government is limited to a more administrative role. The European Union is the most prominent example of this system currently.
The federal system offers a more balanced division of authority between central (federal) and regional governments, where the national and regional governments have some form of sovereignty. Typically, this is accomplished by defining the sovereignty of each in a supreme law document, such as a constitution.
The United States of America is a prominent example of such as system. In the US constitution, the rights of the federal government and the rights of the states are outlined. This prevents the federal government from violating the state’s rights and prevents the states from more freely undermining the union as it could in a confederal system.
Japan is an example of a unitary system where the central (national) government possess governing authority. The central government can delegate governing authority to regional (local) governments by enacting laws. This process is called devolution.
In theory, this system leads to strong central government with region governments being more administrative branches of that central government. However, the Japanese constitution creates the groundwork for regional government autonomy. This power is delegated by law and can likewise be rescinded by law, albeit this may not be very practical or economical.
Depending on geography and population, some countries have several levels of subnational governance: e.g., state (regional), county (subregional), city (municipal), etc., as in the case of the United States. In Japan, currently, there are two levels: prefecture (regional) and city (municipal).
As noted previously, the US has a federal system and Japan a unitary system. The sovereignty of US states is identified in the Tenth Amendment to the US Constitution. The duties and powers of the federal government are listed in the US Constitution, and everything outside of these is given to the states. States are free to enact law and administer their affairs so long as they do not violate federal laws or US Constitution. Conversely, the federal government cannot violate the granted to the states via the Constitution.
Japan’s Constitution (Constitution of 1948) requires that the central government provide for local autonomy, i.e. Arts. 92 – 95. The Local Autonomy Act (Law No. 67 of 1947) is a key law that devolves governing authority to regional (prefectural) and local (municipal) governments. However, the national government is the entity that determines what affairs and powers are delegated to the regional and local governments.
The difference in unitary versus federal systems of government is a major influencing factor in the difference between US and Japanese building code culture.