Diet of Japan 163847 225776102 2008-07-15T10:16:03Z Tj9991 192259 Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/Scaply|Scaply]] to last version by TXiKiBoT (using [[WP:HG|Huggle]]) {{otheruses4|the Japanese legislature|information on Japanese food|Japanese cuisine}} {{redirect|Kokkai|the Sumo wrestler from Georgia|Kokkai Futoshi}} {{redirect|The Diet|the Beetle Bailey animated short|The Diet (cartoon)}} {{Infobox Legislature | name = National Diet of Japan <br> 国会<br>''Kokkai'' | coa_pic = | coa-pic = | session_room = Japanese diet inside.jpg | house_type = Bicameral | houses = [[House of Councillors]]<br/>[[House of Representatives of Japan|House of Representatives]] | leader1_type = [[President of the House of Councillors]] | leader1 = [[Satsuki Eda]] | party1 = [[Democratic Party of Japan|DPJ]] | election1 = [[August 7]] [[2007]] | leader2_type = [[Speaker of the House of Representatives of Japan|Speaker of the House]] | leader2 = [[Yohei Kono]] | party2 = [[Liberal Democratic Party (Japan)|LDP]] | election2 = [[September 11]] [[2005]] | members = 722 | p_groups = [[Democratic Party of Japan|DPJ]] <br> [[Liberal Democratic Party (Japan)|LDP]] <br> [[New Komeito Party|NKP]] <br> [[Japanese Communist Party|JCP]] <br> [[Social Democratic Party (Japan)|SDP]] <br> [[People's New Party|PNP]] <br> [[New Party Nippon|NPN]] | election3 = [[July 29]] [[2007]] | meeting_place = [[National Diet Building]], [[Tokyo]] | website = }} {{Politics of Japan}} The {{nihongo|'''National Diet of Japan'''|国会|Kokkai}} is [[Japan]]'s [[bicameral]] [[legislature]]. It is composed of a [[lower house]], called the [[House of Representatives of Japan|House of Representatives]], and an [[upper house]], called the [[House of Councillors]]. Both houses of the [[Diet (assembly)|Diet]] are directly elected under a [[parallel voting|parallel voting system]]. In addition to passing laws, the Diet is formally responsible for selecting the [[Prime Minister of Japan|Prime Minister]]. The Diet was first convened as the [[Imperial Diet]] in 1889 as a result of adopting the [[Meiji constitution]]. The Diet took its current form in 1947 upon the adoption of the [[Constitution of Japan|postwar constitution]] and is considered by the Constitution to be the highest organ of state power. The [[National Diet Building]] is located in [[Nagatachō, Tokyo|Nagatachō]], [[Chiyoda, Tokyo]]. ==Composition== {{see also|Elections in Japan|List of members of the Diet of Japan}} The houses of the Diet are elected under a parallel voting system. 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.<ref>Japan Guide [http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2280.html Coming of Age (seijin no hi)] Retrieved June 08, 2007.</ref> Japan's parallel voting system is not to be confused with the [[Additional Member System]] used in many other nations. *'''House of Representatives''': Of 480 members, 300 are elected from single seat constituencies under the [[First Past the Post|Single Member Plurality]] ('First-past-the-post') system, and 180 are elected from eleven separate electoral blocs under the [[Party-list proportional representation|party list system]] of [[proportional representation]] (PR). *'''House of Councillors''': Of 242 members, 146 are elected from 47 prefectural constituencies by means of the [[Single Non-Transferable Vote]]. 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 [[Elections in Japan|parliamentary elections]], thus allowing all of these things to be determined by law. 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".<ref name="const"/> 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.<ref>U.S. Library of Congress Country Studies [http://countrystudies.us/japan/117.htm Japan - Electoral System]. Retrieved June 08, 2007.</ref> 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 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.<ref>Goodman, Carl. [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3791/is_200107/ai_n8961382/pg_7 Japan's changing view toward civil litigation]. Published Summer of 2001. Retrieved June 08, 2007.</ref> ==Powers== Article 41 of the [[Constitution of Japan|Constitution]] describes the National Diet as "the highest organ of state power" and "the sole law-making organ of the State". This statement is in forceful contrast to the [[Meiji Constitution]], which described the [[Emperor of Japan|emperor]] as the one who exercised legislative power with the consent of the Diet. 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 of Japan|prime minister]] must be designated by Diet resolution, establishing the principle of legislative supremacy over executive government agencies (Article 67). 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 of Japan|cabinet members]], are required to appear before Diet investigative committees and answer inquiries. The Diet also has the power to impeach judges convicted of criminal or irregular conduct.<ref name="const">National Diet Library. [http://www.ndl.go.jp/constitution/e/etc/c01.html Constitution of Japan]. Published 1947. Retrieved July 15, 2007.</ref> [[Image:Kokkaigijido.jpg|thumb|left|The [[National Diet Building]], 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 of Japan|Emperor]]. 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.<ref>House of Councillors. [http://www.sangiin.go.jp/eng/guide/f_c_6.htm Legislative Procedure]. Published 2001. Retrieved July 15, 2007.</ref> The House of Representatives is the more powerful chamber of the Diet.<ref>Asia Times Online [http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Japan/IG06Dh01.html Japan: A political tsunami approaches]. By Hisane Masaki. Published July 6, 2007. Retrieved July 15, 2007.</ref> 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.<ref name="disagree">House of Representatives of Japan [http://www.shugiin.go.jp/itdb_english.nsf/html/statics/guide/disagree.htm Disagreement between the Two Houses]. Retrieved July 14, 2007.</ref> * 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.<ref name="disagree"/> * 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== [[Image:The Diet.jpg|thumb|left|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 of Japan|Cabinet]]. 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.<ref name="session">House of Representatives of Japan [http://www.shugiin.go.jp/itdb_english.nsf/html/statics/guide/sessions.htm Sessions of the Diet]. Retrieved July 14, 2007.</ref> At the beginning of each parliamentary session the [[Speech from the Throne|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.<ref>House of Representatives of Japan [http://www.shugiin.go.jp/itdb_english.nsf/html/statics/guide/opening.htm Opening Ceremony and Speeches on Government Policy]. Retrieved July 14, 2007.</ref> The presence of one third of the membership of either house constitutes a [[quorum]]<ref name="session"/> and deliberations are in public unless at least two-thirds of those present agree otherwise. 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]]. 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== {{see|Political funding in Japan}} Japan's first modern legislature was the '''Imperial Diet''' ({{lang|ja|帝國議会}}; ''Teikoku'' ''Gikai'') established by the [[Meiji constitution]] in force from 1889 to 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. The Diet consisted of a House of Representatives and a [[House of Peers]] ({{lang|ja|貴族院}}; ''Kizokuin''). 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 [[United Kingdom|British]] [[House of Lords]], consisted of high ranking nobles.<ref name="history">House of Representatives of Japan [http://www.shugiin.go.jp/itdb_english.nsf/html/statics/guide/imperial.htm From Imperial Diet to National Diet]. Retrieved July 15, 2007.</ref> The word ''[[Diet (assembly)|diet]]'' derives from [[Latin]] and was a common name for an assembly in [[Holy Roman Empire|medieval Germany]]. 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 (institution)|Reichstag]] and partly on the British [[Westminster System|Westminster system]]. 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]]''.<ref>Henkin, Louis and Albert J. Rosenthal [http://books.google.com/books?id=9s2KPYdpx_cC&pg=PA424&lpg=PA424&dq=meiji+constitution+germany&source=web&ots=am9Op-Lq6T&sig=Ua5I3P8Fgr-s978Vw_6Xr1YrKRw Constitutionalism and Rights: : the Influence of the United States Constitution Abroad]. Page 424. Published 1990. Columbia University Press. ISBN 0231065701</ref> 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.<ref name="history"/> 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 [[democracy|democratic]] system and renamed the legislature the ''National Diet''. 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 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.<ref>Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communication. [http://www.stat.go.jp/english/data/chouki/27exp.htm Chapter 27 - Government Employees and Elections]. Published 2003. Retrieved June 08, 2007.</ref> 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.<ref>Library of Congress County Data. [http://www.country-data.com/cgi-bin/query/r-7249.html Japan - The Legislature]. Retrieved June 08, 2007.</ref> ==See also== * [[Politics of Japan]] * [[History of Japan]] * [[Parliamentary system]] * [[Bicameralism]] * [[National Diet Library]] ==References== {{reflist}} ==External links== {{commonscat|Diet of Japan}} * [http://www.ndl.go.jp/en/data/diet.html National Diet Library: Diet and Parliaments] has the Diet minutes (in Japanese) and additional information. * [http://www.sangiin.go.jp/eng/index.htm House of Councillors - official website] * [http://www.shugiin.go.jp/index.nsf/html/index_e.htm House of Representatives - official website] [[Category:1889 establishments]] [[Category:Diet of Japan| ]] [[ast:Dieta de Xapón]] [[ca:Dieta del Japó]] [[de:Kokkai]] [[es:Dieta de Japón]] [[eu:Kokkai]] [[fr:Diète du Japon]] [[gl:Kokkai]] [[zh-classical:日本國會]] [[ko:일본 국회]] [[hr:Japanski Diet]] [[id:Parlemen Jepang]] [[it:Dieta Nazionale del Giappone]] [[lo:ສະພາ]] [[hu:Japán Országgyűlés]] [[ms:Diet Jepun]] [[nl:Kokkai]] [[ja:国会 (日本)]] [[no:Japans riksdag]] [[nn:Japans riksdag]] [[pl:Zgromadzenie Narodowe (Japonia)]] [[pt:Dieta Nacional do Japão]] [[ru:Парламент Японии]] [[fi:Japanin parlamentti]] [[sv:Japans riksdag]] [[uk:Парламент Японії]] [[zh:日本國會]]