Japanese Government

Japan's governmental structure is that of a constitutional monarchy.  Generally defined a constitutional monarchy is defined as a form of national government in which the power of the monarch (the king or queen) is restrained by a parliament, by law, or by custom.  The current emperor of Japan is emperor Akihito who is the 125th emperor in Japan's history.  The prime minister, who holds the majority of the power in the government is prime minister Taro Aso.  The prime minister is selected by the emperor from a group of government officials referred to as the "diet".  The rest of the japanese government system consists of a legislative branch with a house of representatives and a house of counselors.  An executive branch also exists which consists of the prime minister, the cabinet, and various state ministries.  Finally there is the judicial branch which has a supreme court, regional courts, and local courts.