Koenkai

picture info	Koenkai are an invaluable tool of Japanese Diet members, especially of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). These groups serve as pipelines through which funds and other support are conveyed to legislators and through which the legislators can distribute favors to constituents in return. To avoid the stringent legal restrictions on political activity outside of designated campaign times, ''koenkai'' sponsor year-round cultural, social, and "educational" activities. For example, Tanaka Kakuei used his "iron constituency", or invincible constituency, in rural Niigata Prefecture to build a formidable, nationwide political machine. But other politicians, like Ito Masayoshi, were so popular in their districts that they could refrain, to some extent, from money politics and promote a "clean" image. ''Koenkai'' remained particularly important in the over-represented rural areas, where paternalistic, old-style politics flourished and where the LDP had its strongest support. In the classic oyab ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu]
picture info	1996 Japanese General Election General elections were held in Japan on 20 October 1996. A coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party, New Party Sakigake and the Social Democratic Party, led by incumbent Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto of the LDP won the most seats. These were the first elections after the 1994 electoral reform. Previously, each district was represented by multiple members, sometimes from the same party, causing intra-party competition. Under the new rules, each district nominated one representative, elected using first-past-the-post voting. A separate party-list vote was introduced for voters to choose their favored party in addition to votes for individual candidates, as a way to more accurately approximate the seats in the House of Representatives of Japan to the actual party votes, in an effort to achieve more proportional representation. Background The 41st general elections of members of the House of Representatives took place on October 20, 1996. General election for the House of Repre ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu]
picture info	National Diet The is the national legislature of Japan. It is composed of a lower house, called the House of Representatives (Japan), House of Representatives (, ''Shūgiin''), and an upper house, the House of Councillors (Japan), House of Councillors (, '' Sangiin''). Both houses are directly elected under a parallel voting, parallel voting system. In addition to passing laws, the Diet (assembly), Diet is formally responsible for nominating the Prime Minister of Japan, Prime Minister. The Diet was first established as the Imperial Diet in 1890 under the Meiji Constitution, and took its current form in 1947 upon the adoption of the Constitution of Japan, post-war constitution. Both houses meet in the in Nagatachō, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Chiyoda, Tokyo. Composition The houses of the National Diet are both elected under parallel voting systems. This means that the seats to be filled in any given election are divided into two groups, each elected by a different method; the main difference bet ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu]
picture info	Onsen In Japan, are the country's hot springs and the bathing facilities and traditional inns around them. As a volcanically active country, Japan has many onsens scattered throughout all of its major islands. There are approximately 25,000 hot spring sources throughout Japan that provide hot mineral water to about 3,000 genuine onsen establishments. Onsens come in many types and shapes, including and . Baths may be either publicly run by a municipality or privately, often as part of a hotel, ''ryokan'', or . The presence of an onsen is often indicated on signs and maps by the symbol ♨ or the kanji (''yu'', meaning "hot water"). Sometimes the simpler hiragana character ゆ (''yu''), understandable to younger children, is used. Traditionally, onsens were located outdoors, although many inns have now built indoor bathing facilities as well. Nowadays, as most households have their own bath, the number of traditional public baths has decreased, but the number of sightseeing ho ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu]