Country profile
Japan
Nihon-koku/Nippon-koku
Asia · Eastern Asia
JP · JPN
- Capital
- Tokyo
- Population
- 123,210,000
- Area
- 377,930 km²
- Democracy index
- 87
- Regime type
- Robust Democracy
Events
Ballots from Japan
The latest elections, referendums, and opinion polls from Japan. Community totals are not official results.
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Classification
Democracy profile
The score and regime label are assigned by Porto Voto using our in-house democracy index and classification framework, not ratings from governments or external agencies.
Democracy index
87/100
Regime type
Robust Democracy
Japan is a stable parliamentary democracy with a deeply entrenched tradition of the rule of law and peaceful transfers of power. The electoral process is highly reliable, and its institutions, including the judiciary and the National Diet, operate with a high degree of independence from executive interference. While the political landscape is characterized by the long term dominance of the Liberal Democratic Party, which creates a significant incumbent advantage, this does not diminish the competitive nature of elections or the integrity of the voting process. Civil liberties and freedom of the press are protected under the constitution, and while cultural norms occasionally influence the pace of social policy reform, the system remains responsive to public discourse through formal institutional channels. The country exhibits strong institutional transparency and administrative efficiency, ensuring that accountability is maintained across all levels of government.
Last evaluation:
How we classify regimes →World Factbook
Country background
A concise introduction to Japan, together with notes on how power and law are organized, to put local ballots in context.
In 1603, after decades of civil warfare, the Tokugawa shogunate (a military-led, dynastic government) ushered in a long period of relative political stability and isolation from foreign influence. For more than two centuries, this policy enabled Japan to enjoy a flowering of its indigenous culture. Japan opened its ports after signing the Treaty of Kanagawa with the US in 1854 and began to intensively modernize and industrialize.
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Japan became a regional power that was able to defeat the forces of both China and Russia. It occupied Korea, Formosa (Taiwan), and southern Sakhalin Island. In 1931-32, Japan occupied Manchuria, and in 1937, it launched a full-scale invasion of China.
Japan attacked US forces at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in 1941, triggering America's entry into World War II, and Japan soon occupied much of East and Southeast Asia. After its defeat in World War II, the country recovered to become an economic power and a US ally. While the emperor retains his throne as a symbol of national unity, elected politicians hold the decision-making power.
After three decades of unprecedented growth, Japan's economy experienced a major slowdown starting in the 1990s, but the country remains an economic power. In 2011, Japan's strongest-ever earthquake and an accompanying tsunami devastated the northeast part of Honshu, killed thousands, and damaged several nuclear power plants. ABE Shinzo was reelected as prime minister in 2012, and he embarked on ambitious economic and security reforms to improve Japan's economy and bolster the country's international standing.
In 2019, ABE became Japan's longest-serving post-war prime minister; he resigned in 2020 and was succeeded by SUGA Yoshihide. KISHIDA Fumio became prime minister in 2021.