President of Japan (Cherry, Plum, and Chrysanthemum)

The President of the Republic of Japan (Japanese: 祖国の総裁 Sokoku no sōsai) is the head of state of Japan. The Japanese title literally means “Chairman of the Fatherland”. This office was created in 1931 under the Myomi Republic Constitution

Duties and functions
The President of the Republic was elected by the National Congress for four year term. As the 1931 Constitution is the amended and reformed version of 1890 Meiji Constitution, the office of President intended to be the replacement for the Emperor power as the Head of State, and the nominal Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces. The President of the Republic also the responsible for conducting foreign relations, such as concluding treaties, declaring war, and making peace (but its powers must have the concern and permission from the Congress). The President must promulgated all laws but has no right to veto. Other powers of the President include granting amnesty, pardon or clemency, declaring martial law, and conferring honors and decorations.

However, the Constitution does not clearly define the office of President is the powerful position in the country. Although the Constitution gave the President some significant powers, but that power only can effective by the concern of the Congress and the support from the Party. Its sometimes gave the change to the Prime Minister for become the functional head of government, like the office of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom or to the Party Leader for become the major figure of policy-making, like the office of the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.

History
Until the 1980s, power in Japan was personalized rather than institutionalized which meant that the power of the President depended largely on who occupied the office. After the establishment of the Republic in 1931, Nagayama Yoshida who had served as the Chairman of the Kokuminto Party Central Committee and as the senior member of the Party Politburo was clearly the most powerful person in Japan. When Yoshida resigned from the Politburo membership in 1940 until replaced by Marshal Matsutaka Imada in 1941 and later by Suzuki Kantarō in 1942, the office was largely ceremonial with the real power in the hands of the Prime Minister, Nakano Seigo

After the Seigo government succeed to overthrow by the Allied forces in 1945 and Nagayama Yoshida elected again as the President in 1946, the President still a figurehead with real power exercised by the Supreme Commander of Allies for Japan, General Douglas MacArthur. The power of President restored again in 1948 after the Allies troops withdraw from Japan, but due to the health reasons, some of important executive acts later delegated to the Prime Minister.

President Yoshida died on his office on 17 March 1952 and Marshal Katobushi Toshio elected as his successor on 2 April 1952. President Toshio later shared his constitutional power with the Yoshida’s successor for the Party leadership, Mizunari Kazama as the First Secretary of the Kokuminto Party for the next 16 years and bring the equal balance between the State and the Party

Katobushi Toshio resigned from his position on 4 July 1968 and Mizunari Kazama elected as the next President. After his retirement from the Party First Secretary position on 1970, Kazama only serves as the ceremonial symbol for the nation unity while the real power in the hands of the next Party First Secretary, Matsumoto Okawa who serves as the First Vice Prime Minister. For the next 21 years, the President only a figurehead and the Party leader became the real power-holder of the Republic. But in 1989, several attempts by the opposition challenged the Party to reduced its influences. The Party First Secretary office abolished and the power switched back again to the President for the second time.

List of Presidents of the Republic of Japan

 * Dr. Nagayama Yoshida (16 February 1931 – 27 December 1941)


 * Marshal Matsutaka Imada (27 Desember 1941 – 21 June 1942)


 * Suzuki Kantaro (21 June 1942 – 13 August 1945) (as the “acting Head of State”)


 * General Katobushi Toshio (13 August 1945 – 7 January 1946) (as the “acting President”)


 * Dr. Nagayama Yoshida (7 January 1946 – 17 March 1952) (second term)


 * Ozaki Yukio (17 March – 2 April 1952) (as the “acting President”)


 * Marshal Katobushi Toshio (2 April 1952 – 4 July 1966)


 * Mizunari Kazama (4 July 1966 – 6 January 1974)

Tatsumoto Kimura (6 January 1974 – 9 January 1986)


 * Miyamoto Kenji (9 January 1986 – 3 January 1994)


 * Murayama Tomiichi (3 January 1994 – 6 January 2006)


 * Tadayoshi Ichida (6 January 2006 – now)