Japan

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The National Diet of Japan (国会, Kokkai^?) is Japan's bicameral legislature. In Government, bicameralism (bi + Latin la ''camera'' chamber is the practice of having two legislative or Parliamentary chambers Thus a bicameral The is the Upper house of the Diet of Japan. The House of Representatives is the Lower house. The is the Lower house of the Diet of Japan. The House of Councillors of Japan is the Upper house. Satsuki Eda (江田五月 born May 22 1941 in Okayama Okayama) is the first Opposition member to serve as the President of the House of The is a liberal Political party in Japan founded in 1998 by the merger of several smaller parties Events 322 BC - Battle of Crannon between Athens and Macedon following the death of Alexander the Great. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. is a Japanese politician History Kono is the eldest son of Ichiro Kono, a former minister dealing with the Tokyo Olympic Games. The, frequently abbreviated to LDP or, is a Centre right, conservative, Political party and the largest party in Japan. Events 9 - The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest ends 506 - The Bishops of Visigothic Gaul Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The is a liberal Political party in Japan founded in 1998 by the merger of several smaller parties The, frequently abbreviated to LDP or, is a Centre right, conservative, Political party and the largest party in Japan. The, New Komeito Party, or NKP is a Centre-right political party in Japan founded by members of the Buddhist organization Soka Gakkai The Japanese Communist Party ( JCP) ( Japanese " 日本共産党 Nihon Kyōsan-tō) is a Political party in Japan. The Social Democratic Party (社会民主党 Shakai Minshu-tō, often abbreviated to 社民党 Shamin-tō; also abbreviated as SDP in English The People's New Party (国民新党 Kokumin Shintō) is a Centre-right, Conservative, Japanese political party formed on August 17 The New Party Nippon (新党日本 Shintō Nippon) is a Japanese political party formed on August 21, 2005. Events 1014 - Byzantine-Bulgarian Wars: Battle of Kleidion: Byzantine emperor Basil II inflicts a decisive defeat Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. The is the place where both houses of the Diet of Japan meet It is located at 1-chome Nagatachō, Chiyoda Tokyo. officially, is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan and located on the eastern side of the main island Honshū. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. The politics of Japan is in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic Monarchy, where the Prime Minister of Japan is the The politics of Japan is in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic Monarchy, where the Prime Minister of Japan is the The has been the founding legal document of Japan since 1947 The constitution provides for a Parliamentary system of government and guarantees certain fundamental rights The of Japan is the country's Monarch. He is the head of the Japanese Imperial Family. is the current of Japan, and the 125th Emperor according to Japan's traditional order of succession. The is a government agency of Japan in charge of the state matters concerning Japan's imperial family and also keeping the Privy Seal and the State Seal Japan no longer officially has the traditional Federal system, and its 47 prefectures, and prefectural and municipal assembly members are popularly elected for The is the usual English-language term used for the Head of government of Japan, although the literal translation of the Japanese name for the office is Prime This is a list of Prime Ministers of Japan, and its predecessor state the Empire of Japan, from when the first Prime Minister (in the modern sense Hirobumi was the 91st Prime Minister of Japan, serving from 2007 to 2008 The is the Executive branch of the Government of Japan. It consists of the Prime Minister and up to fourteen other members called Ministers of State The most influential part of the executive of the Japanese government are the ministries. The is the Upper house of the Diet of Japan. The House of Representatives is the Lower house. The is the Lower house of the Diet of Japan. The House of Councillors of Japan is the Upper house. In the judicial system of Japan, the postwar constitution guarantees that "all judges shall be independent in the exercise of their conscience and shall be bound only by The Japanese political system has three types of elections general elections to the House of Representatives held every four years (unless the lower house is dissolved earlier elections Japan held a nationwide election for the House of Representatives, the more powerful Lower house of the National Diet than the Upper house, on Japan held a nationwide election to the House of Representatives, the more powerful Lower house of the National Diet, on July 18, 1993 A general election took place in Japan on October 20, 1996. Incumbent Prime Minister Hashimoto Ryutaro of the coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party Elections to the Shugi-In ( House of Representatives) of the Japanese Diet were held on 25 June 2000. A general election took place in Japan on November 9, 2003. Incumbent Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi of the Liberal Elections to the House of Councillors, the upper house of the legislature of Japan, were held on July 11, 2004. For a breakdown of the results by block district with maps see Results of Japan general election 2005 Japan held a nationwide election to The for the upper house of the legislature of Japan were held on July 29 2007. Political parties in Japan lists political parties in Japan. Japan while universally recognized as a Liberal democracy with free and fair elections The, frequently abbreviated to LDP or, is a Centre right, conservative, Political party and the largest party in Japan. The is a liberal Political party in Japan founded in 1998 by the merger of several smaller parties The, New Komeito Party, or NKP is a Centre-right political party in Japan founded by members of the Buddhist organization Soka Gakkai The Japanese Communist Party ( JCP) ( Japanese " 日本共産党 Nihon Kyōsan-tō) is a Political party in Japan. The Social Democratic Party (社会民主党 Shakai Minshu-tō, often abbreviated to 社民党 Shamin-tō; also abbreviated as SDP in English While Japan 's political mainstream can be described as a "one and a half" party system with the LDP being the dominant force there is room for political extremism The prefectures of Japan are the country's 47 sub-national Jurisdictions one "metropolis" (都 to) Tokyo; one " circuit Monetary policy pertains to the regulation availability and cost of credit while fiscal policy deals with government expenditures taxes and debt The primary responsibility for the Japanese foreign policy, as determined by the 1947 constitution, is exercised by the cabinet and subject to the overall supervision Since the surrender after World War II and the return to the international community by the Treaty of San Francisco, Japanese diplomatic policy has been Japan is a Liberal democracy. According to Ministry of Justice (MOJ figures the Japanese Legal Affairs Bureau offices and civil liberties volunteers dealt Information on politics by country is available for every Country, including both De jure and De facto independent For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. In Government, bicameralism (bi + Latin la ''camera'' chamber is the practice of having two legislative or Parliamentary chambers Thus a bicameral A legislature is a type of representative Deliberative assembly with the power to create amend and change Laws The law created by a legislature is called Legislation It is composed of a lower house, called the House of Representatives, and an upper house, called the House of Councillors. A lower house is one of two chambers of a Bicameral Legislature, the other chamber being the Upper house. The is the Lower house of the Diet of Japan. The House of Councillors of Japan is the Upper house. An upper house is one of two chambers of a Bicameral Legislature, the other chamber being the Lower house. The is the Upper house of the Diet of Japan. The House of Representatives is the Lower house. Both houses of the Diet are directly elected under a parallel voting system. In Politics, a diet is a formal Deliberative assembly. The term is derived from Medieval Latin dietas, and ultimately comes from Parallel voting describes a mixed Voting system where voters in effect participate in two separate elections using different systems and where the results in one election have In addition to passing laws, the Diet is formally responsible for selecting the Prime Minister. The is the usual English-language term used for the Head of government of Japan, although the literal translation of the Japanese name for the office is Prime The Diet was first convened as the Imperial Diet in 1889 as a result of adopting the Meiji constitution. The, more commonly known as the Imperial or Meiji Constitution, was the fundamental law of the Empire of Japan from 29 November 1890 until 2 May 1947 The Diet took its current form in 1947 upon the adoption of the postwar constitution and is considered by the Constitution to be the highest organ of state power. The has been the founding legal document of Japan since 1947 The constitution provides for a Parliamentary system of government and guarantees certain fundamental rights The National Diet Building is located in Nagatachō, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo. The is the place where both houses of the Diet of Japan meet It is located at 1-chome Nagatachō, Chiyoda Tokyo. is a district of Tokyo, Japan, located in Chiyoda Ward. It is the location of the Diet of Japan and the Prime Minister 's residence is one of the 23 special wards in central Tokyo, Japan. In English it calls itself Chiyoda City officially, is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan and located on the eastern side of the main island Honshū.

Composition

See also: Elections in Japan and List of members of the Diet of Japan

The houses of the Diet are elected under a parallel voting system. The Japanese political system has three types of elections general elections to the House of Representatives held every four years (unless the lower house is dissolved earlier elections This is a list of members of the Diet of Japan. House of Representatives Data current as of May 12 2006 This means that the seats to be filled in any given election are divided into two groups, each elected by a different method; the main difference between the houses is in the sizes of the two groups and how they are elected. Voters are also asked to cast two votes: one for an individual candidate in a constituency, and one for a party list. Any citizen of Japan at least twenty years of age (the age of majority in Japan) may vote in these elections. The age of majority is the threshold of Adulthood as it is conceptualized (and recognized or declared in Law. ^[1] Japan's parallel voting system is not to be confused with the Additional Member System used in many other nations. The Additional Member System (AMS is a branch of Voting systems in which some representatives are elected from geographic constituencies and others are elected under

• House of Representatives: Of 480 members, 300 are elected from single seat constituencies under the Single Member Plurality ('First-past-the-post') system, and 180 are elected from eleven separate electoral blocs under the party list system of proportional representation (PR). The plurality voting system is a Single-winner voting system often used to elect executive officers or to elect members of a legislative assembly which is based on single-member Party-list proportional representation systems are a family of Voting systems used in multiple-winner Elections (e Proportional representation (sometimes referred to as full representation or PR is a category of electoral formula aiming at a close match between the percentage of votes
• House of Councillors: Of 242 members, 146 are elected from 47 prefectural constituencies by means of the Single Non-Transferable Vote. The single non-transferable vote or SNTV is an Electoral system used in multi-member constituency elections The remaining 96 are elected by party list PR from a single national list.

The Constitution of Japan does not specify the number of members of each house of the Diet, the voting system, or the necessary qualifications of those who may vote or be returned in parliamentary elections, thus allowing all of these things to be determined by law. The has been the founding legal document of Japan since 1947 The constitution provides for a Parliamentary system of government and guarantees certain fundamental rights The Japanese political system has three types of elections general elections to the House of Representatives held every four years (unless the lower house is dissolved earlier elections However it does guarantee universal adult suffrage and a secret ballot. It also insists that the electoral law must not discriminate in terms of "race, creed, sex, social status, family origin, education, property or income". ^[2]

Generally, the election of Diet members is controlled by statutes passed by the Diet. Because the Liberal Democratic Party has controlled Japan for most of its postwar history, and gains much of its support from rural areas, rural areas generally have more representation in the Diet than do urban areas. ^[3] The Supreme Court of Japan began exercising judicial review of apportionment laws following the Kurokawa decision of 1976, invalidating an election in which one district in Hyōgo Prefecture received five times the representation of another district in Osaka Prefecture. The Supreme Court of Japan (最高裁判所 Saikō-Saibansho; called 最高裁 Saikō-Sai for short located in Chiyoda, Tokyo is the highest Judicial review is the power of the courts to annul the acts of the executive and/or the legislative power where it finds them incompatible with a higher norm WikipediaWikiProject Japanese prefectures for guidelines --> is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kinki region on Honshū Island WikipediaWikiProject Japanese prefectures for guidelines --> is a prefecture located in the Kinki region on Honshū, the main island of The Supreme Court has since indicated that the highest electoral imbalance permissible under Japanese law is 3:1, and that any greater imbalance between any two districts is a violation of Article 14 of the Constitution. ^[4]

Powers

Article 41 of the Constitution describes the National Diet as "the highest organ of state power" and "the sole law-making organ of the State". The has been the founding legal document of Japan since 1947 The constitution provides for a Parliamentary system of government and guarantees certain fundamental rights This statement is in forceful contrast to the Meiji Constitution, which described the emperor as the one who exercised legislative power with the consent of the Diet. The, more commonly known as the Imperial or Meiji Constitution, was the fundamental law of the Empire of Japan from 29 November 1890 until 2 May 1947 The of Japan is the country's Monarch. He is the head of the Japanese Imperial Family. The Diet's responsibilities include not only the making of laws but also the approval of the annual national budget that the government submits and the ratification of treaties. It can also initiate draft constitutional amendments, which, if approved, must be presented to the people in a referendum. The Diet may conduct "investigations in relation to government" (Article 62). The prime minister must be designated by Diet resolution, establishing the principle of legislative supremacy over executive government agencies (Article 67). The is the usual English-language term used for the Head of government of Japan, although the literal translation of the Japanese name for the office is Prime The government can also be dissolved by the Diet if it passes a motion of no confidence introduced by fifty members of the House of Representatives. Government officials, including the prime minister and cabinet members, are required to appear before Diet investigative committees and answer inquiries. The is the Executive branch of the Government of Japan. It consists of the Prime Minister and up to fourteen other members called Ministers of State The Diet also has the power to impeach judges convicted of criminal or irregular conduct. ^[2]

The National Diet Building, Tokyo. The is the place where both houses of the Diet of Japan meet It is located at 1-chome Nagatachō, Chiyoda Tokyo.

In most circumstances, in order to become law a bill must be first be passed by both houses of the Diet and then promulgated by the Emperor. The of Japan is the country's Monarch. He is the head of the Japanese Imperial Family. This role of the Emperor is similar to the Royal Assent in some other nations; however, the Emperor cannot refuse to promulgate a law and therefore his legislative role is merely a formality. The granting of Royal Assent is the formal method by which a constitutional monarch completes the legislative process of Lawmaking by formally assenting to an ^[5]

The House of Representatives is the more powerful chamber of the Diet. ^[6] While the House of Representatives cannot usually overrule the House of Councillors on a bill, the House of Councillors can only delay the adoption of a budget or a treaty that has been approved by the House of Representatives, and the House of Councillors has almost no power at all to prevent the lower house from selecting any Prime Minister it wishes. Furthermore, once appointed it is the confidence of the House of Representatives alone that the Prime Minister must enjoy in order to continue in office. The House of Representatives can overrule the upper house in the following circumstances:

• If a bill is adopted by the House of Representatives and then either rejected, amended or not approved within 60 days by the House of Councillors, then the bill will become law if again adopted by the House of Representatives by a majority of at least two-thirds of members present. ^[7]
• If both houses cannot agree on a budget or a treaty, even through the appointment of a joint committee of the Diet, or if the House of Councillors fails to take final action on a proposed budget or treaty within 30 days of its approval by the House of Representatives, then the decision of the lower house is deemed to be that of the Diet. ^[7]
• If both houses cannot agree on a candidate for Prime Minister, even through a joint committee, or if the House of Councillors fails to designate a candidate within 10 days of House of Representatives' decision, then the nominee of the lower house is deemed to be that of the Diet.

Activities

Joint session of the Diet of Japan

Under the constitution at least one session of the Diet must be convened each year. Technically only the House of Representatives is dissolved before an election but while the lower house is in dissolution the House of Councillors is usually 'closed'. The Emperor both convokes the Diet and dissolves the House of Representatives but in doing must act on the advice of the Cabinet. The is the Executive branch of the Government of Japan. It consists of the Prime Minister and up to fourteen other members called Ministers of State In an emergency the Cabinet can convoke the Diet for an extraordinary session, and an extraordinary session may be requested by one quarter of the members of either house. ^[8] At the beginning of each parliamentary session the Emperor reads a special speech outlining the government's plans for the coming year from his throne in the chamber of the House of Councillors. ^[9]

The presence of one third of the membership of either house constitutes a quorum^[8] and deliberations are in public unless at least two-thirds of those present agree otherwise. In Law, a quorum is the minimum number of members of a Deliberative body necessary to conduct the business of that group Each house elects its own presiding officer who exercises the casting vote in the event of a tie. Members of each house have certain protections against arrest while the Diet is in session and words spoken and votes cast in the Diet enjoy parliamentary privilege. Parliamentary privilege, also known as absolute privilege, is a legal mechanism employed within the legislative bodies of countries whose Constitutions are based on Each house of the Diet determines its own standing orders and has responsibility for disciplining its own members. A member may be expelled, but only by a two-thirds majority vote. Every member of the Cabinet has the right to appear in either house of the Diet for the purpose of speaking on bills, and each house has the right to compel the appearance of Cabinet members.

History

Further information: Political funding in Japan

Japan's first modern legislature was the Imperial Diet (帝國議会; Teikoku Gikai) established by the Meiji constitution in force from 1889 to 1947. In Japan, the problem of political funding was intensely debated during the late 1980s and early 1990s partly as a result of revelations following the Recruit The, more commonly known as the Imperial or Meiji Constitution, was the fundamental law of the Empire of Japan from 29 November 1890 until 2 May 1947 The Meiji Constitution was adopted on February 11, 1889 and the Imperial Diet first met on November 29, 1890 when the document entered into operation. Events 660 BC - Traditional founding date of Japan by Emperor Jimmu. Year 1889 ( MDCCCLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Events 1777 - San Jose California, is founded as el Pueblo de San José de Guadalupe Year 1890 ( MDCCCXC) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The Diet consisted of a House of Representatives and a House of Peers (貴族院; Kizokuin). This article is about the Japanese body The British House of Lords is also known as the House of Peers for certain ceremonial purposes. The House of Representatives was directly elected, if on a limited franchise; universal adult male suffrage was introduced in 1925. The House of Peers, much like the British House of Lords, consisted of high ranking nobles. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The House of Lords is the second house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is also commonly referred to as "the Lords" ^[10]

The word diet derives from Latin and was a common name for an assembly in medieval Germany. In Politics, a diet is a formal Deliberative assembly. The term is derived from Medieval Latin dietas, and ultimately comes from Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. The Holy Roman Empire ( HRE; German Heiliges Römisches Reich (HRR, Latin Sacrum Romanum Imperium (SRI was a union of territories in The Meiji constitution was largely based on the form of constitutional monarchy found in nineteenth century Prussia and the new Diet was modeled partly on the German Reichstag and partly on the British Westminster system. Prussia ( Latin: Borussia, Prutenia; Prūsija Prūsija Prusy Old Prussian: Prūsa) was most recently a historic state The Reichstag ( German for "Imperial Diet " was the Parliament of the Holy Roman Empire, the North German Confederation, The Westminster system is a democratic Parliamentary system of Government modelled after the British government (the Parliament of the United Unlike Japan's modern constitution, the Meiji constitution granted a real political role to the Emperor, although in practice the Emperor's powers were largely directed by a group of oligarchs called the genrō. was an unofficial designation given to certain retired elder Japanese Statesmen, considered the "founding fathers" of modern Japan who served as informal extraconstitutional ^[11]

To become law or bill, a constitutional amendment had to have the assent of both the Diet and the Emperor. This meant that while the Emperor could no longer legislate by decree he still had a veto over the Diet. The Emperor also had complete freedom in choosing the Prime Minister and the Cabinet, and so, under the Meiji constitution, Prime Ministers often were not chosen from and did not enjoy the confidence of the Diet. ^[10] The Imperial Diet was also limited in its control over the budget. While the Diet could veto the annual budget, if no budget was approved the budget of the previous year continued in force.

The postwar Constitution of Japan, adopted in 1947, created a more democratic system and renamed the legislature the National Diet. The has been the founding legal document of Japan since 1947 The constitution provides for a Parliamentary system of government and guarantees certain fundamental rights Democracy is a form of government in which the supreme power is held completely by the people under a free electoral system Under the document the franchise was extended to women for the first time and the House of Peers was abolished and replaced with the directly elected House of Councillors. The Emperor was reduced to his current, purely ceremonial role, and the Diet declared the "highest organ of the state power" (Article 41). All Diet elections occurred under the single non-transferable vote system. The single non-transferable vote or SNTV is an Electoral system used in multi-member constituency elections

The proportional representation system for the House of Councillors, introduced in 1982, was the first major electoral reform under the postwar constitution. Instead of choosing national constituency candidates as individuals, as had previously been the case, voters cast ballots for parties. Individual councillors, listed officially by the parties before the election, are selected on the basis of the parties' proportions of the total national constituency vote. ^[12] The system was introduced to reduce the excessive money spent by candidates for the national constituencies. Critics charged, however, that this new system benefited the two largest parties, the LDP and the Japan Socialist Party, which in fact had sponsored the reform. The Social Democratic Party (社会民主党 Shakai Minshu-tō, often abbreviated to 社民党 Shamin-tō; also abbreviated as SDP in English ^[13]

See also

• Politics of Japan
• History of Japan
• Parliamentary system
• Bicameralism
• National Diet Library

References

External links

• National Diet Library: Diet and Parliaments has the Diet minutes (in Japanese) and additional information.
• House of Councillors - official website
• House of Representatives - official website