Author(s)

WangBo Rao

Affiliation(s)

Hefei No.1 High School, Hefei 230000, Anhui, China.

Corresponding Author

WangBo Rao

ABSTRACT

This study compares the historical development of centralized imperial power in China and decentralized governance in Japan, focusing on the Kamakura Shogunate’s shukurō system. It examines how geographical, ideological, and cultural factors—such as China’s unified Confucian-Legalist traditions and vast arable terrain versus Japan’s clan-based structure and mountainous geography—shaped distinct political systems. China’s centralized model enabled efficient decision-making and stability but risked autocracy, while Japan’s polycentric approach fostered adaptability yet incurred fragmentation. The analysis highlights trade-offs between efficiency and flexibility, offering insights into balancing centralization and decentralization in modern governance.

KEYWORDS

Centralized governance; Decentralized systems; East Asian political civilization; Historical comparative analysis

CITE THIS PAPER

WangBo Rao. The political power structures in east Asia: decentralization and centralization — a case study of ancient Japan and China. History and Culture Journal. 2025, 2(1): 40-43. DOI: https://doi.org/10.61784/hcj3011.

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