Comparison of Development in Japan and Malaysia INTRODUCTION This research is concerned

The "need to give direction to government is universal and persisting. Every country . . . must maintain political institutions that enable a small group of politicians to make authoritative decisions that are binding on the whole of society."1 The ways of organizing the direction of government are numerous. The distinctions between democracy and totalitarian states are evident. Just as significant, however, are the different approaches to government found within the family of democratic states. At one end of this democratic spectrum are the countries which attempt to centralize authority, such as the United States, in which a single individual is elected nationally as chief executive, or such as Britain, where the

1R. Rose, "Presidents and Prime Ministers," Transaction Social Science and Modern Society, 25 (MarchApril 1988): 6170.

2nationally elected parliament is supreme. At the other end of this democratic spectrum are the countries with collective leadership, such as Switzerland, where a federal council is elected separately from each of the cantons, and in which the presidency rot

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parately. Japan Among its homogenous population, Japanese political leaders have for centuries focused on the office and the person of the Emperor as a unifying force in the country.15 The role of the Emperor suffered during the Shogun period of Japanese history, until the Emperor Meiji recovered imperial power.16 __________ 14Paxton, 830. 15H. Thomas, A History of the World (New York: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1979), 156. 16Reischauer, 198. 7 Upon succession, Japanese emperors select a meaningfully descriptive name, by which they will be known subsequent to their death. Emperor Mutsuhito, who became known as Emperor Meiji subsequent to his death, recovered imperial power, following the abdication in 1867 of the last Tokugawa Shogun.17The Meiji Constitution was implemented in 1889,18 and, subsequent to its introduction, Japan entered into a period of rapid development. The Tokugawa governments opposed the opening of Japan to outsiders or to outside ideas. Subsequent to the implementation of the Meiji Constitution, this attitude changed, to some extent. The Japanese government remained opposed to the opening of the country to outsiders, but it began to welcome outside ideas, as those ideas applied to
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Modern Society, California Press, York Macmillan, Books Ltd, Meiji Constitution, Japan Malaysia, Meiji Restoration, Japan22 Social, QuÆaran Islamic, Cairo University, economic development, university press, economic growth, transaction social science, social science, vreeland handbook, printing office, office 1987, california press, modern society, science modern society, social science modern, printing office 1987, country's population, university california press,
Approximate Word count = 2982
Approximate Pages = 12 (250 words per page)