ABSTRACT
The functioning of democracy is an exercise in balancing the need for efficiency in the conduct of the business of government with protection against the arbitrary and abusive exercise of power. Legislatures typically operate in a slow, cumbersome, and contentious manner. They contribute little to the expeditious conduct of the business of government, a circumstance for which they are often criticized. The Local Autonomy Act of 1947 was intended to insulate local government from excessive interference by the central government. There are several different levels of local government: prefectures, cities, towns, and villages. The legal profession is nowhere near as large nor as prestigious as in the US; there is one lawyer for every 5,518 people in Japan, compared with one for every 285 in the US. The legal system as it exists today is patterned after that of continental Europe. Bureaucracy is strong relative to the weakness of parties and the legislature.
