Difference between revisions of "Talk:Japan"
m (Replacing page with 'RUN JAPANESE PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!') |
|||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
| − | + | The claim for the size of Tōkyō [[http://geography.about.com/od/urbaneconomicgeography/a/agglomerations.htm at about.com]] is based on estimates of "urban agglomerations." I think it'd be better to link to ''its'' sources ([[http://www.demographia.com/ Demographia]]), not a second-hand source like about.com. (The Demographia 50 Largest World Metropolitan '''Areas''' list is [[http://www.demographia.com/db-world-metro2000.htm here]].) | |
| + | |||
| + | Second, if we're going to use the about.com/Demographia source, then it'd be better to cite the '''greater Tōkyō area''' (which includes other adjoining prefectures), rather than implying that there are over 30 million people in Tōkyō. [[http://www.metro.tokyo.jp/ENGLISH/PROFILE/overview03.htm The official Tōkyō web site]] places Tōkyō proper at 12 million. To further complicate matters, Tōkyō isn't even on Demographia's list of [[http://www.demographia.com/db-world-muni.htm World Municipalities over 7,000,000 Population]] because of the definition of ''municipality''. | ||
| + | |||
| + | '''Please note:''' I am not disputing the greater Tōkyō area's status as the largest metropolitan agglomeration in the world. I'm merely saying that it would be nice to be a little more accurate than the current article's claim that Tōkyō's the largest '''city'''. We'd have to clarify what we mean by "city." | ||
| + | |||
| + | == State Religion? Monarchy? Where? == | ||
| + | |||
| + | The article claims that there is a State religion (Shinto), but I cannot find any substantiation for this claim. Can anybody back up this claim? | ||
| + | |||
| + | [http://web-japan.org/factsheet/pdf/CONSTITU.pdf The Japanese Constitution] provides for no state religion. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Also, hammering on "constitutional monarchy" seems inappropriate. If you read the Japanese constitution, the Diet, not the Emperor, has supreme authority. This is borne out in the MOFA-sponsored [http://web-japan.org/factsheet/pdf/GOVSTRUC.pdf fact sheet on government]. The Emperor acts '''only''' in purely cerimonial role under the direction of the Diet (Constitution, Chapter 1). So, while the CIA World Factbook calls Japan a constitutional monarchy, the Japanese Constitution grants the Emperor '''no authority''' beyond the symbolic, and that wholely under the direction of the Diet. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Thus, how can we legitimately call Japan a "monarchy" if the monarch has zero power? I'd rather call it a parlimentary government, which is where the powers lie. If there is an insistance on including "monarch" in the description, it could be described as a "parilmentary government with cerimonial monarch." | ||
| + | |||
| + | '''Sources:''' [http://web-japan.org/index.html Web Japan], a site sponsored by the [http://www.mofa.go.jp/ Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs] (MOFA). | ||
Revision as of 05:09, September 22, 2007
The claim for the size of Tōkyō [at about.com] is based on estimates of "urban agglomerations." I think it'd be better to link to its sources ([Demographia]), not a second-hand source like about.com. (The Demographia 50 Largest World Metropolitan Areas list is [here].)
Second, if we're going to use the about.com/Demographia source, then it'd be better to cite the greater Tōkyō area (which includes other adjoining prefectures), rather than implying that there are over 30 million people in Tōkyō. [The official Tōkyō web site] places Tōkyō proper at 12 million. To further complicate matters, Tōkyō isn't even on Demographia's list of [World Municipalities over 7,000,000 Population] because of the definition of municipality.
Please note: I am not disputing the greater Tōkyō area's status as the largest metropolitan agglomeration in the world. I'm merely saying that it would be nice to be a little more accurate than the current article's claim that Tōkyō's the largest city. We'd have to clarify what we mean by "city."
State Religion? Monarchy? Where?
The article claims that there is a State religion (Shinto), but I cannot find any substantiation for this claim. Can anybody back up this claim?
The Japanese Constitution provides for no state religion.
Also, hammering on "constitutional monarchy" seems inappropriate. If you read the Japanese constitution, the Diet, not the Emperor, has supreme authority. This is borne out in the MOFA-sponsored fact sheet on government. The Emperor acts only in purely cerimonial role under the direction of the Diet (Constitution, Chapter 1). So, while the CIA World Factbook calls Japan a constitutional monarchy, the Japanese Constitution grants the Emperor no authority beyond the symbolic, and that wholely under the direction of the Diet.
Thus, how can we legitimately call Japan a "monarchy" if the monarch has zero power? I'd rather call it a parlimentary government, which is where the powers lie. If there is an insistance on including "monarch" in the description, it could be described as a "parilmentary government with cerimonial monarch."
Sources: Web Japan, a site sponsored by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA).