House of Councillors
Encyclopedia
The is the upper house
of the Diet of Japan
. The House of Representatives
is the lower house
. The House of Councillors is the successor to the pre-war House of Peers
. If the two houses disagree on matters of the budget, treaties, or designation of the prime minister, the House of Representatives can insist on its decision. In all other decisions, the House of Representatives can override a vote of the House of Councillors only by a two-thirds majority of members present.
The House of Councillors has 242 members who each serve six-year terms, two years longer than those of the House of Representatives. Councillors must be at least 30 years old, compared with 25 years old in the House of Representatives. The House cannot be dissolved, as only half of its membership is elected at each election. Of the 121 members subject to election each time, 73 are elected from the 47 prefectural districts (by single non-transferable vote
) and 48 are elected from a nationwide list by proportional representation
with open list
s.
Up to the 1998 election, there were 252 members, 126 elected at a time: 76 from prefectural districts and 50 elected nationwide. At the 2001 elections these numbers were reduced and the total number was 247 (126 elected in 1998 and 121 elected in 2001) and the open list preference vote was introduced.
See List of members of the Diet of Japan for the list of current members of the House of Councillors.
Upper house
An upper house, often called a senate, is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house; a legislature composed of only one house is described as unicameral.- Possible specific characteristics :...
of the Diet of Japan
Diet of Japan
The is Japan's bicameral legislature. It is composed of a lower house, called the House of Representatives, and an upper house, called the House of Councillors. Both houses of the Diet are directly elected under a parallel voting system. In addition to passing laws, the Diet is formally...
. The House of Representatives
House of Representatives of Japan
The is the lower house of the Diet of Japan. The House of Councillors of Japan is the upper house.The House of Representatives has 480 members, elected for a four-year term. Of these, 180 members are elected from 11 multi-member constituencies by a party-list system of proportional representation,...
is the lower house
Lower house
A lower house is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house.Despite its official position "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide the lower house has come to wield more power...
. The House of Councillors is the successor to the pre-war House of Peers
House of Peers (Japan)
The ' was the upper house of the Imperial Diet as mandated under the Constitution of the Empire of Japan ....
. If the two houses disagree on matters of the budget, treaties, or designation of the prime minister, the House of Representatives can insist on its decision. In all other decisions, the House of Representatives can override a vote of the House of Councillors only by a two-thirds majority of members present.
The House of Councillors has 242 members who each serve six-year terms, two years longer than those of the House of Representatives. Councillors must be at least 30 years old, compared with 25 years old in the House of Representatives. The House cannot be dissolved, as only half of its membership is elected at each election. Of the 121 members subject to election each time, 73 are elected from the 47 prefectural districts (by single non-transferable vote
Single non-transferable vote
The single non-transferable vote or SNTV is an electoral system used in multi-member constituency elections.- Voting :In any election, each voter casts one vote for one candidate in a multi-candidate race for multiple offices. Posts are filled by the candidates with the most votes...
) and 48 are elected from a nationwide list by proportional representation
Proportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
with open list
Open list
Open list describes any variant of party-list proportional representation where voters have at least some influence on the order in which a party's candidates are elected...
s.
Up to the 1998 election, there were 252 members, 126 elected at a time: 76 from prefectural districts and 50 elected nationwide. At the 2001 elections these numbers were reduced and the total number was 247 (126 elected in 1998 and 121 elected in 2001) and the open list preference vote was introduced.
See List of members of the Diet of Japan for the list of current members of the House of Councillors.
Current composition
(as of November 14, 2011)| Parliamentary group | Councillors | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| mandate expires | total | |||
| 2013 | 2016 | |||
| Democratic Party of Japan Democratic Party of Japan The is a political party in Japan founded in 1998 by the merger of several opposition parties. Its socially liberal platform is generally considered center-left in the Japanese political spectrum... – Shinryokufūkai |
62 | 44 | 106 | |
| Liberal Democratic Party Liberal Democratic Party (Japan) The , frequently abbreviated to LDP or , is a centre-right political party in Japan. It is one of the most consistently successful political parties in the democratic world. The LDP ruled almost continuously for nearly 54 years from its founding in 1955 until its defeat in the 2009 election... – "Assembly of Independents" |
33 | 50 | 83 | |
| Kōmeitō | 10 | 9 | 19 | |
| Your Party Your Party is a center-right Japanese political party. Led by Yoshimi Watanabe, who split from the Liberal Democratic Party , the party was founded on August 8, 2009 after then-Prime Minister Aso dissolved the lower house. A concept behind the party is to make the government more democratic, and to eliminate... |
1 | 10 | 11 | |
| Japanese Communist Party Japanese Communist Party The Japanese Communist Party is a left-wing political party in Japan.The JCP advocates the establishment of a society based on socialism, democracy and peace, and opposition to militarism... |
3 | 3 | 6 | |
| Sunrise Party of Japan Sunrise Party of Japan The is a Japanese political party. The political party is formed by five Japanese lawmakers and parliamentarians, four former members of the Liberal Democratic Party and an independent politician. It was named by the veteran Tokyo Metropolitan Governor Shintarō Ishihara who supported the... – New Renaissance Party New Renaissance Party The is a minor political party in Japan founded in 2010. Its leader is Yōichi Masuzoe a former Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare and former member of Liberal Democratic Party.-External links:*... |
3 | 2 | 5 | |
| Social Democratic Party Social Democratic Party (Japan) The Social Democratic Party The Social Democratic Party The Social Democratic Party (社会民主党 Shakai Minshu-tō, often abbreviated to 社民党 Shamin-tō; also known as the Social Democratic Party of Japan (abbreviated to SDPJ or SDP in English) is a political party that advocates for the establishment of a... – "Alliance to protect the constitution" (goken rengō) |
2 | 2 | 4 | |
| People's New Party People's New Party The People's New Party is a centre-right, Conservative, Japanese political party formed on 17 August 2005 in the aftermath of the defeat of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's Japan Post privatisation bills which led to a snap election.-History:The Kokumin Shinto, headed by Shizuka Kamei, includes... |
3 | 0 | 3 | |
| Independents includes President (Democrat) and Vice President (Liberal Democrat), one OSMP member |
4 | 1 | 5 | |
| total | 121 | 121 | 242 | |
External links
- House of Councillors Website (in English)
- House of Councillors internet TV - Official site (in Japanese)