The members of the House of Representatives are allocated among the states and territories roughly in proportion to population.
Each state is headed by a premier, who is the leader of the party with a majority or a working minority in the lower house of the state legislature.
Japanese leaders of the late 19th century regarded the Korean Peninsula as a "dagger pointed at the heart of Japan." It was over Korea that Japan became involved in war with the Chinese Empire in 1894-95 and with Russia in 1904-05.