(ちゅうおうしゅうけん)

ちゅうおうしゅうけん
noun
centralization of power; centralized government
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(にほん)中央集権(ちゅうおうしゅうけん)(くに)だ。
Japan is a centralized country.
明治(めいじ)政府(せいふ)中央集権(ちゅうおうしゅうけん)体制(たいせい)(きず)いた。
The Meiji government established a centralized system of governance.
地方(ちほう)分権(ぶんけん)(すす)み、中央集権(ちゅうおうしゅうけん)からの転換(てんかん)議論(ぎろん)されている。
With the progress of decentralization, a shift away from centralized government is being debated.

Composed of 中央(ちゅうおう) (central; center) and 集権(しゅうけん) (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(ちゅうおうしゅうけん)体制(たいせい): centralized system of government
  • 中央集権(ちゅうおうしゅうけん)国家(こっか): centralized state
  • 中央集権(ちゅうおうしゅうけん)(てき): centralized (adjective)
  • 中央集権(ちゅうおうしゅうけん)から地方分権(ちほうぶんけん)へ: from centralization to decentralization

HISTORICAL CONTEXT:
Japan's modern 中央集権(ちゅうおうしゅうけん) system was established during the 明治維新(めいじいしん) (Meiji Restoration, 1868), replacing the feudal 幕藩体制(ばくはんたいせい) (shogunate-domain system). Since the 1990s, there has been ongoing debate about 地方分権(ちほうぶんけん) (decentralization) to give regions more autonomy.

SIMILAR WORDS:

  • 地方分権(ちほうぶんけん): decentralization — the opposite concept, distributing power to local governments
  • 集権(しゅうけん): concentration of power — the component word without specifying "central"
  • 官僚制(かんりょうせい): bureaucracy — the administrative system that often accompanies centralized government