Politics of Akashi

The politics of Akashi take place in the framework of a representative democracy, organised as a parliamentary republic.

The President is the ceremonial head of state, and the Prime Minister is the head of government and of the cabinet, which exercises executive power.

Legislative power is vested in the National Assembly at the national level. The judiciary is independent, based on the civil law system, and is headed by the Supreme Court.

Akashian politics are characterised by a multi-party system, coalition governments, and a lively atmosphere.

Constitution

The current Constitution of Akashi was adopted by referendum in 1984. It replaced the previous Constitution of 1941, and was drafted in response to its perceived flaws.

The fundamental principles of the constitution are popular sovereignty, equality of citizens, and protection of rights. Its language reflects Akashi's communally-oriented society rather than the individual rights focus of other constitutions.

Few constitutional amendments have succeeded due to the difficult process. A successful amendment must be approved by two-thirds of the National Assembly, and by a simple majority of voters in a referendum.

Executive branch

Head of state

The President of Akashi is the national head of state. Their role is mostly ceremonial. They represent the state and the sovereignty of the people. They are expected to remain above day-to-day politics, provide advice in political and social debates, and promote social integration and civic engagement.

Upon assuming the office, presidents renounce any party membership. They serve as the ceremonial head of various social organisations. They appoint judges, civil servants, and military commanders on the advice of the legislature. They represent Akashi in matters of international law, conclude treaties with foreign states, and accredit diplomats.

The President's most visible role is ensuring the stability of the political system. They dissolve legislatures, call elections, and appoint the Prime Minister, provincial governors, and prefecture mayors to form governments.

All national laws must be signed by the President before they come into effect. The President can refuse to sign on the basis of unconstitutionality. If the President vetoes a law but the National Assembly does not withdraw it, it is put to a referendum.

Head of government

The Prime Minister of Akashi is the national head of government. They head the cabinet, coordinate its work, and establish its general direction.

The Prime Minister is responsible to the National Assembly. They are designated by the President after an election and tasked with forming a government. They chair weekly cabinet meetings and have the power to set the agenda for these meetings.

Cabinet

The Cabinet of Akashi is the national government. It is responsible to the National Assembly, and thus to the people. It can be forced from office by a motion of no confidence.

The cabinet exercises collective responsibility and individual ministerial responsibility. Ministers customarily have significant autonomy in overseeing the work of their ministries, supervised and coordinated by the Prime Minister.

The cabinet must answer written and oral questions from the National Assembly. The latter takes place during question time, lasting an hour each Friday.

The number of ministries has varied over time. Currently, there are 12 ministries.

Legislative branch

The National Assembly is the national legislature. It is elected every 4 years by popular vote. Its legislative session lasts from September to June, with a break over the new year period.

Much of the National Assembly's legislative work is done in committees, which have an important advisory and revising role in Akashi's unicameral context.

Judicial branch

The Akashian legal system is based on civil law, strongly influenced by Miranian legal traditions.

The judiciary is independent, and has the following tiers:

• District courts (地方裁判所 chihō saibansho) — principal courts of first instance, generally encompassing several prefectures.
• High Courts (高等裁判所 kōtō saibansho) — principal appellate courts, five in total for each province.
• The Supreme Court (大審院 dai-shin'in) — the ultimate judicial authority, highest court for both civil and constitutional cases.

The Supreme Court has the power of judicial review. It is customary for any legislative bills, national or local, to be referred to it before they are voted on to verify their constitutionality.

Akashi uses a nonadversarial system in justice, where the courts actively determine the facts of a case. Investigations are conducted by a magistrate (奉行 bugyō). The legal system strongly emphasises wakai settlements by mutual agreement of the parties.

Juries do not exist in Akashian law. However, lay judges (裁判員 saiban-in) assist professional judges in cases.

Local government

Sustained decentralisation and devolution has produced significant autonomy and powers for local government.

Provinces elect provincial assemblies (国議会 kuni gikai) and governors (知事 chiji).

Prefectures elect prefectural assemblies (郡議会 kōri gikai) and mayors (市長 shichō). Urban prefectural assemblies are commonly called "city councils" (市議会 shigikai).

Small towns and villages may opt for direct governance by citizens in a general assembly (総会 sōkai).

Provinces and prefectures can pass local ordinances (条例 jōrei) and local regulations (規則 kisoku) on any issue within their jurisdiction as long as it doesn't infringe the national government's coordinating role. A majority of their funding comes from local taxation.

Elections

Akashi has developed an expansive electoral calendar, producing one election per year.

Presidential elections take place every 5 years, in years divisible by 5. The President is elected through the two-round system: unless a candidate wins over 50% of the vote, the top two candidates proceed to a runoff.

General elections take place every 4 years. The National Assembly's 400 members are elected through parallel voting: half through single-transferable vote in multi-member constituencies, and half through party-list proportional representation nationwide. Each constituency elects between 3 and 5 members, based on its population.

Provincial elections take place every 4 years, 2 years apart from general ones. Provincial assemblies use the same parallel voting system as the National Assembly.

Prefectural elections take place every 2 years, in odd-numbered years. Prefectural assemblies are elected using single-transferable voting in multi-member constituencies.

Elections take place in June, following the end of a legislative session and coinciding with summer vacation. New legislatures and executives are sworn in when they reconvene in September. Elections are usually held on the last Saturday in June, and the presidential runoff a week later.

All elections are fixed-term. Snap elections are possible in the event of a government collapse, but the new legislature completes the term of its predecessor.

Referendums

Since 1968, Akashi has strengthened provisions regarding referendums and initiatives, making them an important component of politics and popular sovereignty.

Citizens can initiate referendums to propose new laws or repeal existing laws by gathering 50.000 signatures within 100 days. The National Assembly can also refer a bill to a referendum for approval, as can the President by vetoing a bill.

Referendums can be prefectural, provincial, or national. National referendums require the approval of majority of voters in a majority of provinces to pass.

Political environment

Akashian politics are notably collegial, cooperative, and colourful. The persistence of the Yurikaran consensus guarantees broad agreement across the political consensus on the meaningful matters of state, meaning that most domestic and economic debates are based more around implementation and policy details.

Governments and leaders generally precede proposals with extensive opinion-gathering and consensus building. Projects and proposed changes thus have built in the input of the other parties and society by the time they are formally introduced, and can rely on a degree of existing support.

Akashian electoral law has strict limits on campaign finance, campaign advertising, and campaign periods (generally 4 weeks before an election). Several notable innovations produced by these restrictions contribute to Akashi's lively political milieu. Parties maintain extensive associated movements, including associated sports clubs, social organisations, community associations, libraries, and cultural–artistic activities.

Activities are carried out through koenkai (後援会, "local support groups"), associated to parties but non-political in character, which contribute to overall community building and sociality. Koenkai contribute to generally high satisfaction with the system, maintenance of a wide popular base for parties, and high loyalty among party members.

Sound trucks (街宣車 gaisensha) are a common sight during elections, being used by candidates for canvassing. They must comply with local noise regulations and are not allowed to play pre-recorded messages or music.

Akashian politics retains historic tendencies towards personalisation rather than party loyalty. It is common for parties to recruit notable civil society and entertainment figures as supporters or candidates for office.

Commentators have noted that the scheduling of elections in June contributes to an atmosphere of goodwill as a result of the pleasant weather.

Pop politics

Some commentators and media outlets use the term "pop politics" (ポップ政治 poppu seiji) to describe a "mild overlap" between politics and the entertainment industry. The phenomenon has been influenced by Akashi's flourishing entertainment industry, historical governments' pursuit of social engineering through culture (Yurika Ehara, Shinobu Furukawa), and koenkai.

It is common for parties to seek out support from celebrities or recruit them as candidates for office. In the latter case, it is generally for individual legislative or minor executive posts. Some celebrities and entertainers achieve renown for unexpected political talent and go on to pursue political careers more actively.

Pop culture is sometimes used for polling terms, to define some category of voters. Scandal were high-profile supporters of Kōko Kaga in 2010, giving rise to the term "Scandal voter" (スキャンダル有権者 "sukyandaru yūkensha") to describe young, female, progressive-minded voters who contributed to the SP's landslide. Metro pop singer Mari Takeuchi later served as a provincial legislator and cabinet member on behalf of the MPP.