GOAC:
Cabinet
JAPAN:
History of Government:
 Feudalism – ruled by emperors coming from
powerful clans
 Shogunate – the rule of military
 Constitutional monarchy – the present
government form of Japan
Ideology:
 Japanese nationalism (Kokka Shugi) – broad
range of ideas and sentiments harboured by the
Japanese people over the last two centuries
regarding their native country, its cultural
nature, political and historical identity
 Meiji period – nationalist ideology consisted of
a blend of native and imported political
philosophies. Developed to promote national
unity and patriotism.
Government:
 Constitutional monarchy – emperor is limited
and relegated primarily to ceremonial duties
 Constitution defines the government to be in a
unitary form
 Local Autonomy Law – throne of emperor
retained; revision to the pre-war constitution of
the empire of Japan;
 Executive, legislative and judicial - Legislative
and executive branches are accountable to
each other
 Constitution of Japan – adopted in 1947
 47 administrative divisions – emperor is the
head of state
 Emperor – role is ceremonial and has no
powers related to government
- Symbol of state and of the unity of people
- Not the nominal Chief Executive
- Possesses only ceremonially important
powers
- Has no real powers
- His ceremonial roles are: appointment of
the prime minister as designated by the
Diet, appointment of the chief justice of the
Supreme Court as designated by the
 Cabinet – composing of the ministers of the
state; directs and control the government
- Source of power of the executive branch
and is formed by the Prime Minister
- 4 years of term; who is the head of
government
- Heads the cabinet and exercises control
and supervision of the e.branch
- Head of government and commander-in-
chief
- Power to present bills to the Diet, sign laws,
declare a state of emergency and dissolve
the Diet’s house
- Designated by the National Diet and
appointed to office by the emperor
 National diet – legislature
- Organ of the legislative branch
- Highest organ of State Power
- Making of laws, approval of the national
budget, approval of the conclusion of
treaties, able to impeach court judges
- Bicameral – consisting of two houses :
House of Councillors (upper house) and the
House of Representatives (lower house) -
the source of sovereignty
 Supreme court and other interior courts -
judicial branch
- They are independent from executive and
legislative branches
- Consist of supreme court and four other
lower courts named high courts, district,
family and summary courts
- Separation of powers
- Legal system in Japan has been historically
influenced by Chinese Law developed
during the Edo period
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
 Cabinet – administrative and executive body
- Has the right to supervise and control the
local people’s committee
 - As the State Administrative Council (SAC)
was replaced by the Cabinet, the Local
Administrative and Economic Committee
(LAEC) was abolished and its functions
regarding local politics transferred to the
LPC.
- A party chief secretary no longer
concurrently holds the post of LPC chairman
Hyun Seo Yeo, which has been taken over
by a former LAEC chairman. Thus, the LPC is
theoretically independent of the local party
and is under the control of the Cabinet. The
status of the LPC as the local executive
organ, in principle, became higher than
before.
 Consists of three branches namely
administrative, legislative and judicial.
 They are not independent of each other
 Confirmed by the Supreme People’s Assembly
in which it chooses a Premier who appoints 3
vice premiers and government’s ministers.
 Dominated by the ruling Worker’s Party of
Korea
 Judiciary – headed by the Central Court of
North Korea which consists of Chief Justice and
two people’s assessors; three judges may be
present in some cases
- Does not practice judicial review
- Does not acknowledge individual rights;
torture is widespread and severe
 Constitution – approved and adopted in
September 1998 replacing the one previously
adopted in 1972.
- Under the constitution, North Korea is a
socialist state representing the interests of
all the people.
 Dictatorship
 Socialist state guided in its activities by the
Juche Idea centralized
 Political parties - Democratic Front for the
Reunification of the Fatherland dominated by
the WPK. The two minor parties in the coalition
are the Chondoist Chongu Party and the Korean
Social Democratic Party
- North Korea is a Democratic Republic and
the Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) and
Provincial People's Assemblies (PPA) are
elected by direct universal
suffrage and secret ballot
Government of the Republic of Korea
 Divided into three main branches: executive,
judicial and legislative plus electoral branches
 Executive and judicial branches operate
primarily at the national level; various ministries
in the executive branches operate primarily at
the national level, although various ministries in
the executive branch also carry out local
functions
 Judicial branch operate at both national and
local levels
 Government is determined by the constitution
of the republic of Korea
 Presidential System
 Checks and balances
 Elections are constitutionally independently
managed by the National Election Commission
 Legislative Branch
- Consists of the national assembly of South
Korea; unicameral legislature; consists of
single large assembly
- Assembly : forms 17 standing committees
to deliberate matters of detailed policy
 Executive Branch
- Headed by the president; elected and
directed by the people ; serves for one five-
year term; additional terms are not
permitted
- President – head of the government, state
and commander-in-chief; vested with the
power to declare war and can also propose
legislation to the National Assembly; veto
bills two thirds from the national ass. ; does
not have the power to dissolve the national
assembly
 Judicial Branch
- Includes the supreme court, constitutional
court, regional appellate courts and local
district, branch, municipal and specialized
courts
- Courts are under the jurisdiction of the
national judiciary
 - Supreme court is the head of the judicial
branch of government and the final court of
appeal for all cases
- Chief justice has the power over all court
administration and can recommend court
related legislation to the national assembly
Philippines
 Unitary state; presidential system
 Presidential, representative and democratic
republic where the president is both the head
of the state and the head of government within
a multi-party system
 Powers of the branches are vested by the
constitution of the Philippines
 Legislative:
- Vested in the Congress of the Philippines
which consists of the Senate and House of
Representatives
- District and sectoral representatives are
elected for a term of three tears. They can
be re-elected but they may not run for a
fourth consecutive term
- Senators are elected to a term of six years;
can be re-elected but may not run for a
third executive term
 Executive:
- Vested in the president; vice-president will
take over in case the president dies, resigns
or impeached
- If there is a vacancy in the position of vice-
president, the pres. Will appoint any
member of the congress (3/4)
 Judicial
- Supreme court
- Has chief justice and 14 associate justices ;
appointed by the president on the
recommendation of the judicial and bar
council of the Philippines
 Office of the ombudsman
- Three branches are monitored by the OA.
- Ombudsman is given the mandate to
investigate and prosecute any government
official allegedly guilty of crimes, such as
graft and corruption.
Malaysia
 Federal government or national government
authority – based in the federal territories of
kuala lumpur
 Constitutional monarchy and categorised as
representative democracy
 Vested under the federal government of
Malaysia
 Adopts the principle of separation of powers
 Legislature:
- Bicameral parliament consists of the lower
house (House of Representatives or Dewan
Rakyat or Chamber of People) and the
upper house the Chamber of Nation Senate
or Dewan Negara
- Parliament follows a multi-party system and
the governing body is elected through a first
past the post system
- Parliament has a maximum mandate of 5
years by law. The king may dissolve
parliament at any time and usually does
upon by the Prime Minister
 Executive
- Vested in the cabinet led by the prime
minister; consti said that the prime minister
must be a member of the lower house of
parliament who commands a majority in
parliament
- Cabinet is chosen from among members of
both houses of parliament and is
responsible to that body
- Consists of prime minister as the head of
the government, followed by the ministers
of the cabinet
 Judiciary
- Federal Court as the highest court in the
judicial system, next is the court of appeals
and two high courts
 Each state has a unicameral state legislative
chamber whose members are elected from
single-member constituencies.
Singapore
 Defined by the constitution of the republic of
Singapore
 Executive branch is made up of the president
and the cabinet of Singapore
 Although the president acts in his personal
discretion in the exercise of certain functions as
a check on the Cabinet and Parliament of
Singapore, his role is largely ceremonial. It is the
Cabinet, composed of the Prime Minister and
other Ministers appointed on his advice by the
President, that generally directs and controls
the Government.
 Cabinet – formed by the political party that
gains a simple majority in each general election
 Statutory board – is an autonomous agency of
the government that is established by an act of
parliament and overseen by government
ministry.
