The National Diet Building in Tokyo is where the parliament of Japan
meets.
THE RULERS OF JAPAN
For more than two thousand years, Japan was ruled by emperors, or by
people who ruled for the emperor. During all this time, the Japanese
honored their emperor as a god. According to legend, the emperors were
related to the sun goddess, Amaterasu.
But after World War II, Emperor Hirohito said this belief was false.
Then the people voted for leaders to run their country. The Japanese
still honor the emperor, but he has no power. He is the symbol of the
country and the people.
The emperor and his family live in the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, the
capital of Japan. Ordinary people can visit the palace only twice a
year—the day after New Year and on the birthday of the emperor.
The palace is surrounded by a moat—a wide, water-filled ditch. To get
to the palace, you must cross a heavy stone bridge over the moat.
Sometimes you see white swans swimming in the moat.
Close to the grounds of the Imperial Palace is the National Diet
Building. “Diet” means parliament. The people who are elected to the
Diet make the laws for Japan. They also choose the prime minister, who
is now the “ruler” of Japan.
A stone bridge over a moat leads to the Imperial Palace.
