Japan

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Politics of Japan Constitution Emperor (list) Akihito Imperial Household Agency Government Prime Minister (list) Shinzo Abe Cabinet Ministries National Diet House of Councillors House of Representatives Judicial system Elections 1990 - 1993 - 1996 - 2000 - 2003 - 2004 - 2005 - 2007 Political parties LDP - DPJ - NKP - JCP - SDP Political extremism Prefectures Fiscal policy Foreign policy / Foreign relations Human rights

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The House of Councillors (参議院, Sangiin^?) 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, the Japanese equivalent of the British House of Lords. 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. However with the introduction of proportional representation in the House of Representatives, the upper house has significantly enhanced its power to block legislation with final effect at the expense of the former where the government fails to attain the two-thirds mark in almost every general election, such as in the recent case of the Postal Privatisation Bill block; this development has made the House of Councillors quite powerful, perhaps approaching the Australian Senate in its ability to influence public policy. The following text needs to be harmonized with text in the article Japan#Government and politics. ... For the CPR ocean liner, see Empress of Japan. ... The following is a traditional list of Emperors of Japan. ... Akihito () (born December 23, 1933) is the current Emperor ) of Japan, the 125th sovereign to hold that title, according to the traditional order of succession. ... Imperial Household Agency building on the grounds of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo The Imperial Household Agency ) is a government agency of Japan in charge of the state matters concerning Japans imperial family and also keeping the Privy Seal and the State Seal. ... The Prime Minister of Japan (内閣総理大臣 Naikaku sōri daijin) 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 Minister of the Cabinet. ... This is a historical list of individuals who have served as Prime Minister of Japan. ... Shinzo Abe , ; born September 21, 1954) is the current Prime Minister of Japan, elected by a special session of the National Diet on September 26, 2006. ... The Cabinet (内閣, Naikaku) is the executive branch of the government of Japan. ... The most influential part of the executive of the Japanese government are the ministries. ... The National Diet of Japan ) is Japans legislature. ... The House of Representatives ) is the lower house of the Diet of Japan. ... 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 this constitution and the Laws (Article 76). ... 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 to the House of Councillors held every three years to choose one-half of its members, and local elections held every four... Japan held a nationwide election to the House of Representatives, the more powerful lower house of the National Diet, on February 18, 1990. ... 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. ... Elections to the Shugi-In (House of Representatives) of the Japanese Diet were held on 25 June 2000. ... Incumbent Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi A general election took place in Japan on November 9, 2003. ... 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 House of Representatives, the more powerful lower house of the National Diet, on 11 September 2005, about two years before the end of the term... Elections to the House of Councillors, the upper house of the legislature of Japan, will be held on July 22, 2007. ... Political parties in Japan lists political parties in Japan. ... This section needs to be updated. ... The Democratic Party of Japan ) is a liberal party in Japan. ... The New Komeito ), New Komeito Party , or NKP is a political party in Japan founded by Daisaku Ikeda, leader of the Buddhist organization Soka Gakkai. ... The Japanese Communist Party or Japan Communist Party (JCP) (in 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) is a political party of Japan. ... } While Japans 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 to the left and the right. ... The prefectures of Japan are the countrys 47 sub-national jurisdictions: one metropolis (都 to), Tokyo; one circuit (道 dō), Hokkaidō; two urban prefectures (府 fu), Osaka and Kyoto; and 43 other prefectures (県 ken). ... 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 of the National Diet. ... Despite the burst of the Japanese asset price bubble in the early 1990s and the subsequent slow economic growth, Japan remains a major economic and cultural power. ... Japan is a liberal democracy. ... Information on politics by country is available for every country, including both de jure and de facto independent states, inhabited dependent territories, as well as areas of special sovereignty. ... An upper house is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house. ... The National Diet of Japan ) is Japans legislature. ... The House of Representatives ) is the lower house of the Diet of Japan. ... A lower house is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house. ... The House of Peers (貴族院 Kizokuin) was the upper house of the Imperial Diet under the Constitution of the Empire of Japan (in effect from 11 February 1889 to 3 May 1947). ... The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is also commonly referred to as the Lords. The Sovereign, the House of Commons (which is the lower house of Parliament and referred to as the Commons), and the Lords together comprise the Parliament. ... 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 that groups of candidates (grouped by a certain measure) obtain in elections and the percentage of seats they receive (usually in legislative assemblies). ... Japan Post ) is a public corporation in Japan offering postal and package delivery services, banking services, and life insurance. ... Australian Senate chamber Entrance to the Senate The Senate is the upper of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia. ...

The House of Councillors chamber, in the National Diet Building in Tokyo.

The House of Councillors has 242 members who each serve six year terms, two years longer than those of the House of Representatives. The House cannot be dissolved, as only half of its membership is re-elected at each election, using a parallel voting system. 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. 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). Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1600x1200, 497 KB) The Diet of Japan in Tokyo. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1600x1200, 497 KB) The Diet of Japan in Tokyo. ... Exterior view. ...   , literally Eastern capital) is a unique subnational administrative region of Japan with characteristics of both a prefecture and a city. ... 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 little or no impact on the results of the other. ... The Single Non-Transferable Vote or SNTV is an electoral system used in multi-member constituency elections. ... 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 that groups of candidates (grouped by a certain measure) obtain in elections and the percentage of seats they receive (usually in legislative assemblies). ...

Councillors must be at least 30 years old, compared with 25 years old in the House of Representatives.

Latest election

is the 210th day of the year (211th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is now the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... The Democratic Party of Japan ) is a liberal party in Japan. ... This section needs to be updated. ... The New Komeito ), New Komeito Party , or NKP is a political party in Japan founded by Daisaku Ikeda, leader of the Buddhist organization Soka Gakkai. ... The Japanese Communist Party or Japan Communist Party (JCP) (in 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) is a political party of Japan. ... The Peoples New Party (国民新党 Kokumin Shintō) is a Japanese political party formed on August 17, 2005 in the aftermath of the defeat of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumis Japan Post privatisation bills which led to a snap election. ... The New Party Nippon (新党「日本」 Shintō Nippon) is a political party formed on August 21, 2005. ...

External links

• House of Councillors Website (in English)