1.
centralization of power; centralized government
A system of government in which political power and decision-making authority are concentrated in a central government, as opposed to being distributed among regional or local authorities.
日本は中央集権の国だ。
Japan is a centralized country.
明治政府は中央集権体制を築いた。
The Meiji government established a centralized system of governance.
地方分権が進み、中央集権からの転換が議論されている。
With the progress of decentralization, a shift away from centralized government is being debated.
Composed of 中央 (central; center) and 集権 (concentration of power). A key concept in Japanese political history, especially in understanding the Meiji Restoration and the ongoing debate over decentralization.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 中央集権体制: centralized system of government
- 中央集権国家: centralized state
- 中央集権的: centralized (adjective)
- 中央集権から地方分権へ: from centralization to decentralization
HISTORICAL CONTEXT:
Japan's modern 中央集権 system was established during the 明治維新 (Meiji Restoration, 1868), replacing the feudal 幕藩体制 (shogunate-domain system). Since the 1990s, there has been ongoing debate about 地方分権 (decentralization) to give regions more autonomy.
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 地方分権: decentralization — the opposite concept, distributing power to local governments
- 集権: concentration of power — the component word without specifying "central"
- 官僚制: bureaucracy — the administrative system that often accompanies centralized government