Macedonia Politics:
- Conventional Long Form: N/A
- Capitol City: Tokyo
- Type of Government: Parliamentary Government with a Constitutional Monarchy
- Date of Independence: May 3, 1947 (current constitution adopted as amendment to Meiji Constitution) November 29, 1890 ( Meiji Constitution was provided for Constitutional Monarchy)
- National Holiday(s): Birthday of Emperor Akihito, 23 December (1933)
- Chief of State: Emperor Akihito (since January 7, 1989)
Emperor Akihito
- Head of Government: Prime Minister Shinzo ABE (since December 26, 2012)
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe
- Description of Executive Branch/Powers: Cabinet is appointed by the prime minister. The Diet, bicameral legislature, designates the prime minister; constitution requires that the prime minister commands parliamentary majority; following legislative elections, the leader of majority party or leader of majority coalition in House of Representatives usually becomes prime minister, the monarchy is hereditary.
- Description of Legislative Branch/Powers:Bicameral Diet consists of the House of Councillors ( 242 seats - members elected for fixed six year terms) half elected every three years; and the house of Representatives (480 seats - members elected for maximum four-year terms; 300 in single-seat constituencies).
- Description of Judicial Branch/Powers: Highest court is the Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice and 14 associate justices). Judges for Supreme Court are appointed by the Cabinet and confirmed by the monarch.
- Suffrage: 20 years of age; universal
- Name of THEIR Ambassador in the U.S.: Kenichiro Sasae (since 19 November 2012)
- Location of THEIR embassy in U.S.: 2520 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
- Location(s) of THEIR consulate(s) in the U.S.: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Agana (Guam), Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville (TN), New York, Portland (OR), San Francisco, Seattle
- Name of U.S. Ambassador to THEM: Caroline Bouvier Kenned (since November 19 2013)
- Location of U.S. embassy THERE: 1-10-5 Akaska, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-8420
- Location(s) of U.S. consulate(s) THERE: Naha (Okinawa), Osaka-Kobe, Sapporo
- Name of their representative to UN: Ambassador Motohide Yoshikawa
- Picture of the flag:
- Description of the Symbolism of flag: The flg has a plan white rectangular filled with a red circle in the center. The red circle represents the sun. This flag is known as the sun-disc flag and was known as the default national flag even before a law regarding a national flag was established.
- Video or Audio of their national anthem:
- National Symbol(s): Cherry blossoms are well known as s symbol for life's fragilness and how short it is. The Chrysanthemum appears in the crest of the imperial family. Lastly, the crane, indigenous to Japan, is a symbol of peace.
- Descriptions of International Disputes:
- sovereignty dispute over the islands of Etorofu, Kunashiri, and Shikotan, and the Habomai group, known in Japan as the "Northern Territories" and in Russia as the "Southern Kuril Islands," occupied by the Soviet Union in 1945, now administered by Russia and claimed by Japan, remains the primary sticking point to signing a peace treaty formally ending World War II hostilities; Japan and South Korea claim Liancourt Rocks (Take-shima/Tok-do) occupied by South Korea since 1954; China and Taiwan dispute both Japan's claims to the uninhabited islands of the Senkaku-shoto (Diaoyu Tai) and Japan's unilaterally declared exclusive economic zone in the East China Sea, the site of intensive hydrocarbon prospecting.
- Quantity of refugees inside country AND country(ies) of origin of refugees: N/A
- Quantity of Internally Displaced Persons: N/A
- Quantity of Stateless Persons: 1,100 (2012)
- Description of current human trafficking issues related to this country: Japan is a destination, source. and transit country for, men, women, and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking. During 2010, there was a growth in trafficking of Japanese national, including foreign-born Japanese citizens who acquired nationality. Japan is a transit country for persons trafficked from East Asia to North America.
- Description of Illicit Drug trafficking/use: N/A