FAR EAST

Independent States

 
Last Updated : May 08, 2001

CHINA

(Zhonghua Renmin Gongheguo)

(People's Republic of China)

Regime :

Comunist State

Jiang Zemin - Chief of State

(President since 27 of March 1993)

President and vice president elected by the National People's Congress for five-year terms ; elections last held 16-18 March 1998 (next to be held NA March 2003)

Hu Jintao

(Vice-President since 16 of March 1998)

Zhu Rongji - Head of government:

(Prime Minister depuis le 17 mars 1998)

Premier nominated by the president, confirmed by the National People's Congress.

Legislative :

Unicameral National People's Congress or Quanguo Renmin Daibiao Dahui (2,979 seats ; members elected by municipal, regional, and provincial people's congresses to serve five-year terms) Elections : last held NA December-NA February 1998 (next to be held late 2002-NA March 2003)

JAPAN

(Japan)

Regime :

Constitutional Monarchy

Emperor AKIHITO - Chief of State

(Emperor since 7 of January 1989)

The monarch is hereditary.

Junichiro Koizumi - Head of the Government

Born : January 8, 1942

Party : LDP (Jiyu Minshu To / Liberal Democratic Party) {no factional affiliation}

(Prime Minister since 26 April 2001)

The Diet designates the prime minister ; the constitution requires that the prime minister must command a parliamentary majority, therefore, following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition in the House of Representatives usually becomes prime minister.

Legislative :

Bicameral Diet or Kokkai consists of the House of Councillors or Sangi-in (252 seats ; one-half of the members elected every three years - 76 seats of which are elected from the 47 multi-seat prefectural districts and 50 of which are elected from a single nationwide list with voters casting ballots by party ; members elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms) and the House of Representatives or Shugi-in (500 seats - 200 of which are elected from 11 regional blocks on a proportional representation basis and 300 of which are elected from 300 single-seat districts ; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) Elections : House of Councillors - last held 12 July 1998 (next to be held NA July 2001) House of Representatives - last held 24 and 25 of June 2000: victory of the Liberal Democratic Party (Jiyu Minshu to-JMt) winning 233 of the 480 seats (next to be held by 2004) .

NORTH KOREA

(Choson-minjujuui-inmin-konghwaguk)

(Democratic People's Republic of Korea)

Regime :

Communist state ; one-man dictatorship

KIM Jhong Il - Chief of State

(President since 25 February 1998)

note - in September 1998, KIM Chong-il was reelected Chairman of the National Defense Commission, a position accorded the nation's "highest administrative authority".

Kim Young-nam

(President of the Supreme People's Assembly Presidium since 1998)

KIM Young-nam was named President of the Supreme People's Assembly Presidium and given the responsibility of representing the state and receiving diplomatic credentials.

Hong Song-nam - Head of the Government

(Prime Minister since 21 February 1997 - acting to 5 september 1998)

Premier elected by the Supreme People's Assembly.

Legislative :

Unicameral Supreme People's Assembly or Ch'oego Inmin Hoeui (687 seats ; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) Elections : last held 26 July 1998 (next to be held NA)

SOUTh KOREA

(Taehan-min'guk)

(Republic of Korea)

Regime :

Republic

Kim Dae-jung - Chief of State

(President since 25 of February 1998)

President elected by popular vote for a single five-year term ; election last held 18 December 1997 (next to be held by 18 December 2002)

Lee Han-dong - Head of the Government

(Prime Minister since 29 of June 2000)

Prime minister appointed by the president.

Legislative :

Unicameral National Assembly or Kukhoe (299 seats ; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) Elections : last held 13 April 2000 ; the conservative Grand National Party (Hannara Dang) won with 39% of the votes ahead of the Millenium Party (Minju Dang)-35.9% .(Next to be held NA 2004)

TAIWAN

(Republic of China on Taiwan)

Regime :

Republic

Chen Shui-bian - Chief of State

Born : February 18, 1950 o a farmer's family in Tainan County, southern Taiwan.

Education / Profession : After graduating from the Law School of National Taiwan University in 1974, Chen began practicing as a lawyer in Taipei.

Party : MCT (Min-chu Chin-pu Tang / Democratic Progressive Party, liberal)

(President since 20 May 2000)

President and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms ; election last held18 March 2000 -CHENG SHUI-biang elected (next to be held NA 2004)

Annette Lu Hsiu-lien - Vice President

Born : June 7, 1944 in Taoyuan, in northern Taiwan

Education : Attended Taiwan's top girls' high school, and then studied law at the country's top university, National Taiwan University, graduating first in her class in 1967. She went on to earn a master's degree in Comparative Law from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1971, and an LL.M. from Harvard in 1978.

Party : MCT (Min-chu Chin-pu Tang / Democratic Progressive Party, liberal)

(Vice President since 20 of May 2000)

Chang Chun-hsiung - Head of the Government

Born : March 23, 1938

Education : LL.B., National Taiwan University

Party : MCT (Min-chu Chin-pu Tang / Democratic Progressive Party, liberal)

(Prime Minister since 6 October 2000)

Premier appointed by the president.

Legislative :

Unicameral Legislative Yuan (225 seats -168 elected by popular vote, 41 elected on the basis of the proportion of nationwide votes received by participating political parties, eight elected from overseas Chinese constituencies on the basis of the proportion of nationwide votes received by participating political parties, eight elected by popular vote among the aboriginal populations; members serve three-year terms) and unicameral National Assembly (334 seats ; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) Elections : Legislative Yuan - last held 5 December 1998 (next to be held NA December 2001) National Assembly - last held 18 March 2000 (next to be held NA 2004)

Europe
Middle-East
Africa
North America
Central America
South America
Caribbean
Asia
Southeastern Asia
Indian Sub-Continent
Oceania
Suggestions and Commentaries

ALSO SEE

Foreign Affairs
International Organizations
Political Weekly Factbook
Federated States and Provinces
World Parliaments
World Governments