Essay Sample on Limits to Democracy in Japan and South Korea

Introduction

Japan and South Korea are among the Asian countries that practice democracy. After the end of World War II Japan adopted a new constitution which provided a parliamentary system of government. The Allies from the United States inhabited Japan and passed reforms before Reverse Course. Conversely, after many years of staying under the rule of North Korea, the United Nations recognized the Republic of South Korea as a sole legal government. However, South Korea faced tough times due to alternating periods of autocratic and democratic rule. The two countries have limits to democracy but, there are chances they may overcome them.

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The democracy in Japan is represented by a multiparty parliamentary system which is a constitutional monarchy. The Emperor is the head of state. The Prime Minister who happens to come from the leading party becomes the head of government. Like in most nations globally, the government of Japan is divided into three main branches. These are Legislative, Executive and Judicial. Moreover, the Democratic Party of Japan, Komeito and LDP are the main parties that have been in power since 1955. The country is currently being ruled by a coalition of two parties, LDP and Komeito. The state has four-year terms. And ever since the constitution of Japan was written in 1947, the country exercises liberal constitutional democracy.

On the other hand, the Republic of Korea is also referred to as the Sixth Republic under its current constitution. The First Republic can be backdated from the reign of Syngman Rhee which is also regarded as civilian governments (Stiftung, 2018). During Syngman reign, Kim Young-sam became the youngest member of the national assembly. Nevertheless, after Syngman was overthrown Chun Doo-hwan served as the president. It is a constitutional democracy and therefore, the President is the head of state. The country has a multiparty system hence the existence of the United Democratic Party / Democratic. But it is only the government that exercises executive power. Just like Japan, the South Korean government is divided into three arms namely judiciary, executive and legislative.

Although democracy is the best thing any country can achieve, it has some limitations. These limitations depend on both the design of government and the population. In a democratic nation, the government cannot decide on its own. This is because the decision is made by the majority through voting using SNTV. In Japan, they use Koenkai to support their political votes. To overcome this kind of limitation in a country such as South Korea, they exercise Roh Tae-woo. Democratic is limited to voting in members of parliament; however, in Japan, it's different for there are some seats in the upper house that are inherited. However, the country is working towards defeating that kind of leadership. In both Japan and Korean constitutions guarantees freedom of speech and multipartyism. Therefore, these countries experience political opposition. For instance, Cholla and Kyongsang is the stronghold of opposition leaders in South Korea.

Conclusion

To sum up, both Japan and South Korea are among the Asian countries that practice democracy. The democracy in Japan is represented by multiparty parliamentary which is a constitutional monarchy, and the Emperor is the head of state. On the other hand, South Korea is a constitutional democracy where the president is the head of state. Although freedom is the best thing any country can achieve, it has limitations. Democratic Countries are majoritarian. All decisions are voted in and despite some are unhealthy to the state they pass if many people support them. However, some countries such as South Korea use Roh Tae-woo while making a tough decision for the nation.

Reference

Stiftung, B. (2018). South Korea. Retrieved from http://www.sginetwork.org/2017/South_Korea/Quality_of_Democracy