Southern &
Eastern Asia
Government
SS7CG7a. Compare and contrast the federal republic of The Republic of India,
the communist state of The People’s Republic of China, and the
constitutional monarchy of Japan, distinguishing the form of leadership and
the role of the citizen in terms of voting rights and personal freedoms.
Use the Governments of Southern &
Eastern Asia chart to take notes
Republic - form of government
in which power is explicitly
vested in the people, who in
turn exercise their power
through elected representatives.
India
Structure of Government:
India
The Republic of India
has a parliamentary
system of government.
Form of Leadership:
India
• The President is the head (chief) of state and
is elected by an electoral college to a 5-year
term
• The Prime Minister is the head of the
government and the head of the majority
party of the legislative branch (and head of
the cabinet).
Role of the Citizen:
India
• Parliament is divided into two
houses. The “House of the People”
is elected by Indian citizens. The
“Council of States” is elected by the
“House of the People”.
• All citizens 18 and over may vote for
their legislators
Personal Freedoms:
India
• Other than voting, the Indian constitution
also gives citizens the freedom of speech,
freedom of assembly, and freedom of
religion
• Indians are given the right to conserve their
language and culture and to establish
schools to teach about their cultures
http://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/humanrightsreport/index.htm#wrapper
Federal Republic of India
India has 28 states and
seven union territories that
have the independence to
settle problems of law and order
(individual states in India are more tightly controlled
by the central government than states in the U.S.)
*This is already typed on your table in the other column*
Based on the information about India, turn to a
seat partner and answer the following questions
on your notes:
1. How does the government distribute power:
unitary, confederation, or federal.
Provide evidence for your answer.
2. How does the government determine citizen
participation: autocratic, oligarchic, or
democratic. If democratic, identify which type.
Provide evidence for your answer.
China
Structure of Government:
China
The Communist state
of the People’s
Republic of China
Structure of Government:
China
• A communist state in theory is when all means
of production are owned in common, rather
than by individuals. In practice, a single
authoritarian party controls both the political
and economic systems.
• Although China is called a republic, true power
lies with the ruling Communist Party (Chinese
Communist Party the CCP)
Form of leadership:
China
• The President is the head of state and is
elected by the National People’s Congress
(China’s legislature)
• The Premier is the head of government and is
the head of the ruling party, the Chinese
Communist Party (CCP)
• The State Council, which functions as a
cabinet, is appointed by the National People’s
Congress.
Role of the Citizen:
China
• The communist constitution gives rights
to Chinese citizens, including the right to
vote for every person over the age of 18.
• However, these rights are meaningless
because in communist China the actions
of citizens are dictated by the
government.
Role of the Citizen:
China
For example, Chinese citizens have the
right to vote, but only for candidates of the
CCP. These candidates when elected
have little power because high-ranking
officials appointed by the government
make the decisions.
Personal Freedoms:
China
• China’s communist government has a history
of violating the personal freedoms of its
citizens by denying them freedom of speech,
freedom of worship, and even safety from
physical harm and political persecution.
• Recently, China has begun to make efforts to
better protect its citizens’ personal freedoms.
http://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/humanrightsreport/index.htm#wrapper
China
China has 23 provinces which
have provincial People’s
Congresses. However, only
CCP approved candidates
may be elected.
*This is already typed on your table in the other column*
China’s official name is The
People’s Republic of China. Based
on our earlier definition of a
republic and your knowledge now
of China’s system of government,
why is this name inaccurate?
Based on the information about China, turn to a
seat partner and answer the following questions
on your notes:
1. How does the government distribute power:
unitary, confederation, or federal.
Provide evidence for your answer.
2. How does the government determine citizen
participation: autocratic, oligarchic, or
democratic. If democratic, identify which type.
Provide evidence for your answer.
Japan
Structure of Government:
Japan
Constitutional Monarchy
that follows a
parliamentary system of
government
Structure of Government:
Japan
After World War II, Japan worked with
Western powers to establish a new
constitution that preserved the traditional
empire of Japan while creating a
modern system of democracy
Form of leadership:
Japan
• Japan is a constitutional monarchy because the
power of the Emperor is very limited. As a
ceremonial figurehead, he is defined by the
constitution as "the symbol of the state and of the
unity of the people.“
• Therefore, the Emperor is the head of state.
• The Prime Minister is the head of government
that is elected by the Diet (Japan’s legislature)
Role of the Citizen:
Japan
• The Prime Minister is also the leader of the
majority party of the House of
Representatives (one of the two houses of
the Diet)
• Japanese citizens elect members of the
House of Representatives
• Japanese citizens have the right to vote
after the age of 20.
Personal Freedoms:
Japan
• The constitution established rights and
personal freedoms for Japanese citizens
including freedom of speech, freedom of
religion, equal rights for women, and equal
education.
• The constitution renounces war as a
method of solving problems in Japan and
prohibits Japan from having a military.
Constitutional Monarchy
of Japan
Japan has 47 Prefectures (Japan’s
word for states), but they do not have
any independent authority. Instead,
they carry out the laws and policies of
the national government.
*This is already typed on your table in the other column*
Based on the information about Japan, turn to a
seat partner and answer the following questions
on your notes:
1. How does the government distribute power:
unitary, confederation, or federal.
Provide evidence for your answer.
2. How does the government determine citizen
participation: autocratic, oligarchic, or
democratic. If democratic, identify which type.
Provide evidence for your answer.
The next few slides are going to
show different images. Your
task is to identify which country
or countries the image could
represent. You must include an
explanation for your choices.
1.
2.
3.
4.
4.
Constitution
5.
6.
7.