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82-539: The National Diet Building ( 国会議事堂 , Kokkai-gijidō ) is the building where both houses of the National Diet of Japan meet. It is located at Nagatachō 1-chome 7–1, Chiyoda, Tokyo . Sessions of the House of Representatives take place in the south wing and sessions of the House of Councillors in the north wing. The Diet Building was completed in 1936 and is constructed entirely of Japanese materials, with

164-452: A quorum and deliberations are in public unless at least two-thirds of those present agree otherwise. Each house elects its own presiding officer who casts the deciding vote in the event of a tie. The Diet has parliamentary immunity . Members of each house have certain protections against arrest while the Diet is in session and arrested members must be released during the term of the session if

246-607: A Diet building. Böckmann's initial plan was a masonry structure with a dome and flanking wings, similar to other legislatures of the era, which would form the core of a large "government ring" south of the Imperial Palace . However, at the time there was public resistance in Japan to Foreign Minister Inoue Kaoru 's internationalist policies, and so the architects submitted a more "Japanese" design as well, substituting traditional Japanese architectural features for many parts of

328-415: A Diet member with the rest open to visitors on a first-come-first-served basis. Visitors to the public gallery must have admission tickets. Newspaper and news service reporters receive passes valid for an entire Diet session. The public gallery must follow internal statutes mandated by the chairman, and the chairman retains the authority to command the guards and law enforcement officials to maintain order in

410-642: A bill must be first passed by both houses of the Diet and then promulgated by the 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. The House of Representatives is the more powerful chamber of the Diet. While the House of Representatives cannot usually overrule

492-406: 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 national of Japan at least 18 years of age may vote in these elections, reduced from age 20 in 2016. Japan's parallel voting system ( mixed-member majoritarian )

574-587: A member badge based on precedent (identification cards are accepted since 2005). No exceptions are allowed to this rule; then-Prime Minister Takeo Fukuda once attempted to enter the Chamber while forgetting to wear his badge and was halted by the guards, the situation of which was resolved when Fukuda hastily borrowed a member badge from a nearby Diet member, Yoshiro Mori . Parenthetically, either House restricts its members from wearing hats, coats, scarfs, or carrying umbrellas or walking sticks without permission from

656-489: A result of these early conflicts, public opinion of politicians was not favorable. The Imperial Diet consisted of a House of Representatives and a House of Peers ( 貴族院 , Kizoku-in ) . The House of Representatives was directly elected, if on a limited franchise; universal adult male suffrage was introduced in 1925 when the Universal Manhood Suffrage Law was passed, but excluded women, and

738-405: 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". Generally, the election of Diet members is controlled by statutes passed by the Diet. This is a source of contention concerning re-apportionment of prefectures' seats in response to changes of population distribution. For example,

820-430: A vote of the House of Councillors only by a two-thirds majority of members present. The House of Councillors has 248 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 of Councillors cannot be dissolved, and terms are staggered so that only half of its membership

902-469: Is also used to allow visitors into the building during open house events. The lobby behind the central entrance and right below the central tower is what is called the central hall. The hall has a stairwell that reaches from the second floor to the sixth floor and a ceiling that is 32.62 meters (107.0 ft) high. The ceiling is made of stained glass and has four oil paintings of Japan's four seasons in its corners. The paintings each depict Mount Yoshino in

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984-431: Is characterized by the wide driveway and the entrance doors that are made of bronze and each measure 3.94 meters (12.9 ft) in height, 1.09 meters (3 ft 7 in) in width, and 1.125 tons in weight. These doors for the central entrance, the separate entrance doors for each House building, and the bronze doors inside the building were outsourced to and built by Tokyo School of Fine Arts (currently Tokyo University of

1066-420: Is not to be confused with the mixed-member proportional systems used in many other nations. 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. However it does guarantee universal adult suffrage and

1148-486: Is said to have offered a panoramic view over Tokyo, but both the observatory and the hall are closed today to all but the building manager. Even Diet members must obtain permission to enter. The fourth floor of the central tower is a sub-office of the National Diet Library and can be used freely by anyone affiliated with the Diet. The fourth floor does not have a restroom because it would be situated above

1230-406: Is the upper house of the National 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 the nomination of the prime minister, the House of Representatives can insist on its decision. In other decisions, the House of Representatives can override

1312-516: Is the national legislature of Japan . It is composed of a lower house, called the House of Representatives ( 衆議院 , Shūgiin ), and an upper house, the House of Councillors ( 参議院 , Sangiin ). Both houses are directly elected under a parallel voting system . In addition to passing laws, the Diet is formally responsible for nominating the Prime Minister . The Diet was first established as

1394-532: Is up for election every three years. Of the 121 members subject to election each time, 73 are elected from 45 districts by single non-transferable vote (SNTV) and 48 are elected from a nationwide list by proportional representation (PR) with open lists . The power of House of Councillors is very similar to the Canadian Senate or the Irish Seanad . In central issues, there is a "supremacy of

1476-698: The Cabinet Legislation Bureau of the government, as well as to the ruling party. Japan's first modern legislature was the Imperial Diet ( 帝国議会 , 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 force. The first Imperial Diet of 1890

1558-597: The 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 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

1640-560: The Japanese Constitution provided that half of the councillors elected in the first House of Councillors election in 1947 would be up for re-election three years later in order to introduce staggered six-year terms. The House initially had 250 seats. Two seats were added to the House in 1970 after the agreement on the repatriation of Okinawa , increasing the House to a total of 252. Legislation aimed at addressing malapportionment that favoured less populated prefectures

1722-611: 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 . In recent elections the malapportionment ratio amounted to 4.8 in the House of Councillors (census 2005: Ōsaka/Tottori; election 2007: Kanagawa/Tottori ) and 2.3 in the House of Representatives (election 2009: Chiba 4/Kōchi 3). Candidates for

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1804-602: The Liberal Democratic Party had controlled Japan for most of its post-war history, and it gained much of its support from rural areas. During the post-war era, large numbers of people were relocating to the urban centers in the seeking of wealth; though some re-apportionments have been made to the number of each prefecture's assigned seats in the Diet, rural areas generally have more representation than do urban areas. The Supreme Court of Japan began exercising judicial review of apportionment laws following

1886-532: The advice of the 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. At the beginning of each parliamentary session, the Emperor reads a special speech from his throne in the chamber of the House of Councillors. The presence of one-third of the membership of either house constitutes

1968-488: The confidence and supply arrangement during the restored LDP single-party government ensured legislative government majorities until the opposition victory in the 1998 House of Councillors election which led to the formation of another coalition government by 1999. The legislative two-thirds override power of the House of Representatives was never used between 1950s and 2008 when the LDP-Kōmeitō coalition government had lost

2050-427: The 3rd floor. The ceiling is partly made from stained glass which lets in sunlight, so the ceiling lights are kept turned off unless there is a plenary assembly in the chamber. The floor is structured in the so-called “continental” fashion; the floor forms a fan shape with the chairman and the podium at its center, and member seats are allotted to each parliamentary group in accordance to their size. The chairman sits in

2132-460: The Arts ). The central entrance is not for daily use to enter and exit the Diet building and is called “the door that never opens” because of its restricted access. The entrance is used when Diet members attend their first session after a House of Representatives general election or a House of Councilors regular election and when welcoming the Emperor or foreign heads of state into the Diet building. It

2214-399: The Chamber as members of the House of Representatives also attend the opening ceremony held at the Chamber. The number of seats, however, is still not enough to accommodate the entire 722 members of the Diet, so at the opening ceremony Diet members are sometimes seen standing in the aisles or space in the back of the floor. Both Chambers prohibit Diet members from entering without a jacket and

2296-532: 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. The Imperial Diet was also limited in its control over

2378-429: The Diet if the House of Representatives 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 Diet also has the power to impeach judges convicted of criminal or irregular conduct. In most circumstances, in order to become law

2460-563: The Diet was "twisted" from 1989 to 1993, 1998–1999, 2007–2009, and most recently 2010–2013. In recent years, many constitutional revision advocates call for reforming the role of the House of Councillors ("carbon copy" of the House of Representatives or "recalcitrant naysayer") or abolishing it altogether to "prevent political paralysis", after the recently more frequent twisted Diets have seen an increase in inter-chamber friction/"political nightmare"s. Examples of high-stakes, internationally noted conflicts in recent twisted Diets: Article 102 of

2542-422: The Emperor makes his opening statement from his throne. In the Chamber of the House of Councillors, the microphones are only for the chairman and the podium, while in the Chamber of the House of Representatives, they are also given to the secretary general who report voting results and the Diet member in charge of making procedural motions. There are currently 242 members of the House of Councillors but 460 seats in

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2624-416: The Emperor's throne is at the top of the stairs behind the chairman's seat which will be removed in preparation for the opening ceremony. As a legacy of the historic custom to invite the Emperor to the Chamber of the House of Peers in the opening ceremony of the Imperial Diet, even today the opening ceremonies invite the Emperor to the Chamber of the House of Councillors, a successor of the House of Peers, where

2706-418: The House demands. They are immune outside the house for words spoken and votes cast in the House. 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

2788-475: The House of Councillors can only delay a bill, but not prevent passage. Opposition control of the House of Councillors is often summarized by the term nejire Kokkai ( ja:ねじれ国会 , "twisted" or "skewed" Diet). Setting aside the immediate postwar years, when many governments were in the minority in the upper house, but the strongest force, the centrist Ryokufūkai , was not in all-out opposition to either centre-left or centre-right governments and willing to cooperate,

2870-419: The House of Councillors can still be invoked to take provisional decisions for the whole Diet. Such decisions will become invalid unless confirmed by the House of Representatives as soon as the whole Diet convenes again. The basic stipulations on the role of the House of Councillors are subject of chapter IV of the constitution . Laws and rules containing more detailed provisions on parliamentary procedures and

2952-406: The House of Councillors majority in the 2007 election, but did control a two-thirds majority in the House of Representatives since 2005. After that, it has been used somewhat more frequently (see ja:衆議院の再議決 , Shūgin no saikaketsu , ~"Override decisions by the House of Representatives" for a list). If a government controls a two-thirds majority in the House of Representatives and is willing to use it,

3034-492: 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

3116-437: The House of Representatives is divided into seats for VIPs, diplomats, members of the House of Councillors, government officials, the general public and journalists. The public gallery in the House of Councillors accommodates the imperial family, VIPs, foreign diplomats, members of the House of Representatives, government officials, the general public and journalists. The general public seats are partly assigned to guests invited by

3198-412: The House of Representatives is enough for a united opposition to be able to block the passage of legislation. For certain important administrative nominations by the cabinet, the approval of both houses is required (although the laws containing this requirement could be changed by two-thirds lower house override as a "nuclear option"); and constitutional amendment proposals need two-thirds majorities in both

3280-447: The House of Representatives" ( ja:衆議院の優越 , Shūgiin no yūetsu ). In the election of the prime minister , the ratification of international treaties, and on passing the budget, a decision by the House of Representatives always overrides dissent from the House of Councillors. Only the lower house can pass votes of no-confidence against the cabinet. All other legislation requires either the approval by majorities in both houses, an agreement in

3362-577: The Imperial Diet in 1890 under the Meiji Constitution , and took its current form in 1947 upon the adoption of the post-war constitution . Both houses meet in the National Diet Building ( 国会議事堂 , Kokkai-gijidō ) in Nagatachō , Chiyoda , Tokyo . The houses of the National Diet are both elected under parallel voting systems. This means that the seats to be filled in any given election are divided into two groups, each elected by

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3444-1133: The LDP and the Japan Socialist Party (now Social Democratic Party ), which in fact had sponsored the reform. There are three types of sessions of the National Diet: Any session of the National Diet may be cut short by a dissolution of the House of Representatives (衆議院解散, shūgiin kaisan ). In the table, this is listed simply as "(dissolution)"; the House of Councillors or the National Diet as such cannot be dissolved. House of Councillors (Japan) Opposition (92) Unaffiliated (9) Vacant (8) Naruhito [REDACTED] Fumihito [REDACTED] Shigeru Ishiba ( LDP ) Second Ishiba Cabinet ( LDP – Komeito coalition ) [REDACTED] [REDACTED] Fukushiro Nukaga Kōichirō Genba [REDACTED] Masakazu Sekiguchi Hiroyuki Nagahama Saburo Tokura Kazuo Ueda The House of Councillors ( Japanese : 参議院 , Hepburn : Sangiin )

3526-672: The LDP negotiated and passed the peace-keeping operations bill with centre-left/right-of-JSP opposition parties ( DSP and Kōmeitō ) against fierce opposition from JSP and JCP ; the PKO law became the base for the Self-Defense Forces' first (ground) deployment abroad as part of the UN mission in Cambodia . After the 1993 House of Representatives election, with the exception of a brief minority government in 1994, coalition governments or

3608-451: The budget. However, the Diet could veto the annual budget. If no budget was approved, the budget of the previous year continued in force. This changed with the new constitution after World War II. The proportional representation system for the House of Councillors, introduced in 1982, was the first major electoral reform under the post-war constitution. Instead of choosing national constituency candidates as individuals, as had previously been

3690-441: The building might have been inspired by another entrant, third prize winner Takeuchi Shinshichi, and are believed to have been chosen because they reflected a more modern hybrid architecture than the purely European and East Asian designs proposed by other architects. While the actual source for the “Pyramid” roof remains unclear, Japanese historian Jonathan Reynolds suggests it was “probably borrowed” from Takeuchi although an image of

3772-486: The building. Ende and Böckmann's Diet Building was never built, but their other "government ring" designs were used for the Tokyo District Court and Ministry of Justice buildings. In 1898, Prime Minister Itō Hirobumi interviewed American Ralph Adams Cram , who proposed a more "Oriental" design for the building, featuring tiled roofs and a large enclosure of walls and gates. The Itō government fell as Cram

3854-407: 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. 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,

3936-468: The center accompanied by the secretary general on his right. The podium stands in front of the chairman's seat, and the stenographer sits beneath the podium. Two rows of seats stretch on both sides of the chair, the front row for cabinet members (the seat closest to the chairman is for the Prime Minister) and the back row for the Diet administrative staffs. The Diet members’ seats are designated by

4018-475: The central entrance, the central hall, Gokyusho (emperor's resting space), and the central tower to the House of Councilors (Upper House), the front courtyard to the House of Representatives (Lower House), and the National Diet Library suboffice on the 4th floor of the central tower to the National Diet Library. The central entrance stands behind the main gate and below the central tower. It

4100-410: The chairman at the beginning of a Diet session but can be switched during a session if necessary. The House of Representatives makes it a custom to allocate larger parliamentary groups to the chairman's right. In other words, the majority party will sit on the furthest right to the chairman followed by the second largest party, and independents sit in the far left. In the House of Councillors, by contrast,

4182-435: The chairman. Smoking is also prohibited. Diet members are also forbidden to read newspapers and literature other than reference materials. Above the rear of the Chamber is a public gallery which is physically a part of the Chamber but is considered a different jurisdiction under the Diet internal regulations. According to those rules, visitors to the public gallery are forbidden from entering the Chamber. The public gallery in

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4264-452: The conference committee of both houses or an additional override vote by two-thirds majority in the House of Representatives. However, no single party has ever won a two-thirds majority in the House of Representatives under the current constitution, although the LDP came close several times, as did the DPJ in 2009. In other words, controlling a majority in the House of Councillors and one third of

4346-631: The entry is not provided but instead he thanks fellow historian of Africa studies at Columbia, Zoe Strother, for mentioning that Takeuchi’s design resembles the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus , which was a model for some prominent Western designs in the early 20th century, such as John Russell Pope's 1911 award-winning House of the Temple in Washington, D.C., and the downtown Los Angeles City Hall , completed in 1928. The building assigns jurisdiction over

4428-506: The exception of the stained glass, door locks, and pneumatic tube system. The construction of the building for the old Diet of Japan began in 1920; however, plans for the building date back to the late 1880s. The Diet met in temporary structures for the first fifty years of its existence because there was no agreement over what form its building should take. German architects Wilhelm Böckmann and Hermann Ende were invited to Tokyo in 1886 and 1887, respectively. They created two plans for

4510-460: 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 government can also be dissolved by

4592-569: The houses of the Diet to be submitted to the people in a national referendum . One additional constitutional role of the House of Councillors is to serve as functioning fully elected emergency legislature on its own during lower house election campaigns: While the House of Representatives is dissolved, the National Diet can't be convened, and therefore no law can be passed in regular procedure; but in urgent cases requiring parliamentary action (e.g. election management, provisional budgets, disaster response), an emergency session (緊急集会, kinkyū shūkai ) of

4674-515: The idea that politics is never complete. Others say designers left it open to urge politicians today to outstrip the three grand predecessors, or that they avoided erecting a statue with its back to the Imperial palace. The empty pedestal is displayed with a big pine bonsai on the first day of the Diet session. The central tower measures 65.45 meters (214.7 ft) in height, and surpassed Mitsukoshi ’s main store (60.61 metres [198.9 ft]) which

4756-400: The largest parliamentary group sits in the center with smaller groups on either side. Within a parliamentary group, members who have been elected the fewest times are seated in the front rows closest to the chairman, while those with a longer record as politicians sit in the back rows. Each seat has a number and a name plate with white letters in a black background. In the House of Councillors,

4838-467: The lower house must be 25 years old or older and 30 years or older for the upper house. All candidates must be Japanese nationals. Under Article 49 of Japan's Constitution, Diet members are paid about ¥1.3 million a month in salary. Each lawmaker is entitled to employ three secretaries with taxpayer funds, free Shinkansen tickets, and four round-trip airplane tickets a month to enable them to travel back and forth to their home districts. Article 41 of

4920-448: The main stairway covered with a red carpet that leads from the central hall. The L-shaped desk for the Emperor is a remnant from the pre-war era when the Emperor dressed in military uniform and needed a place to put his headdress to use his right hand to sign documents, while having his left side (carrying the sword) unencumbered. In this room, the Emperor receives courtesy visits from chairmen and vice chairmen of both Houses before attending

5002-491: The opening ceremony in the Chamber of the House of Councilors. Supposedly with ten percent of the entire construction cost spent on this room, Gokyūsho is entirely made of cypress coated with Japanese lacquer , and adornments above the outside of the room are made from cuckoo, a type of stone extracted in Anan, Tokushima . The materials and decorations used for this room are particularly rich in craftsmanship and glamour among all

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5084-427: The opposition, or avoided to submit bills with no prospects of passage, so the House of Councillors rarely voted against the decisions reached by the lower house for much of postwar history: As the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), founded in 1955, often held majorities in both houses or was sufficiently close to control both houses together with independents and micro-parties for a long period, inter-chamber disagreement

5166-953: The public gallery. The largest committee room in each House is Committee Room Number 1 which is widely known for its live broadcasts and where the budget committee, key special committees and political party debates are hosted. Summoning of sworn and unsworn witnesses also takes place in this room. 35°40′33″N 139°44′41″E  /  35.67571°N 139.74481°E  / 35.67571; 139.74481 National Diet Opposition (92) Unaffiliated (9) Vacant (8) Opposition (242) Unaffiliated (2) Naruhito [REDACTED] Fumihito [REDACTED] Shigeru Ishiba ( LDP ) Second Ishiba Cabinet ( LDP – Komeito coalition ) [REDACTED] [REDACTED] Fukushiro Nukaga Kōichirō Genba [REDACTED] Masakazu Sekiguchi Hiroyuki Nagahama Saburo Tokura Kazuo Ueda The National Diet ( Japanese : 国会 , Hepburn : Kokkai )

5248-494: The relations between the two houses include the National Diet Law (国会法, Kokkai-hō ), the conference committee regulations (両院協議会規程, ryōin-kyōgikai kitei ), and the rules of each house (衆議院/参議院規則, Shūgiin/Sangiin kisoku ). In practice, governments often tried to ensure legislative majorities, either by forming coalition governments with safe legislative majorities in the first place or by negotiating with part of

5330-526: The repair work of the tower. The ruptured granite stone is currently owned by Tohoku University and the Kiseki Museum of World Stones in Fujinomiya, Shizuoka. The Gokyūsho (御休所) was originally referred to as Gobinden (御便殿) and was built as a place for the Emperor to rest upon his visit to the Diet to attend events like the opening and closing ceremonies. The chamber is located at the top of

5412-403: The restroom designated for the Emperor, located nearby Gokyusho (as described later). In September 2003, the central tower was hit by lightning, and the granite stone at the top of the tower ruptured, breaking the stained glass beneath. Employees of Kajima Corporation who happened to be present at the scene to fix a restroom requested help from their own company which ended up being in charge of

5494-522: The right to compel the appearance of Cabinet members. The vast majority of bills are submitted to the Diet by the Cabinet. Bills are usually drafted by the relevant ministry, sometimes with the advice of an external committee if the issue is sufficiently important or neutrality is necessary. Such advisory committees may include university professors, trade union representatives, industry representatives, and local governors and mayors, and invariably include retired officials. Such draft bills would be sent to

5576-581: The rooms in the Diet building. The chandelier is made of crystal. A private restroom for the Emperor stands close to Gokyūsho and has both western and Japanese style toilets. When the Emperor travels between the Imperial Palace and the Diet, he is escorted by police motorcade, police cars, and an open limousine accompanied by Imperial Palace guards and law enforcement officials from the Tokyo police department. Diet guards put on white ceremonial robes in

5658-584: The spring, Lake Towada in the summer, Okunikko in the fall, and the Japan Alps in the winter. They were drawn not by famous artists but by art students. In the four corners of the central hall are statues of Itagaki Taisuke , Okuma Shigenobu , and Ito Hirobumi who were instrumental in establishing constitutional government in Japan, and an empty pedestal. It is not clear why there is an empty pedestal. Some claim original designers could not reach consensus on whose statue to install, or that it encapsulated

5740-418: The summer and black robes in the winter on the day of the Emperor's visit. It is said that Mount Fuji could be viewed from the windows of Gokyūsho before office buildings blocked the view. Much of the interiors of the Diet building are designed by Naigai Technos Co. These large halls are usually called the “main chambers” and are located on the 2nd floor of each House building with a ceiling that opens up to

5822-476: The upper house in the following circumstances: 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 so must act on

5904-545: Was a common name for an assembly in medieval European polities like the Holy Roman Empire . The Meiji Constitution was largely based on the form of constitutional monarchy found in nineteenth century Prussia that placed the king not as a servant of the state but rather the sole holder of power and sovereignty over his kingdom, which the Japanese view of their emperor and his role at the time favoured. The new Diet

5986-420: Was criticized by many who thought that choice to be too arbitrary. The ministry sponsored a public design competition in 1918, and 118 designs were submitted for the new building. The first prize winner, Watanabe Fukuzo (渡辺 福三), produced a design similar to Ende and Böckmann’s. The Diet Building was eventually constructed between 1920 and 1936 with a floor plan based on Watanabe’s entry. The roof and tower of

6068-785: Was en route to the United States, and the project was dropped. With an internal deadline approaching, the government enlisted Ende and Böckmann associate Adolph Stegmueller and Japanese architect Yoshii Shigenori to design a temporary structure. The building, a two-story, European-style wooden structure, opened in November 1890 on a site in Hibiya . An electrical fire burned down the first building in January 1891, only two months later. Another Ende and Böckmann associate, Oscar Tietze, joined Yoshii to design its replacement. The second building

6150-451: Was introduced in 2000; this resulted in ten seats being removed (five each at the 2001 and 2004 elections), bringing the total number of seats to 242. Further reforms to address malapportionment took effect in 2007 and 2016, but did not change the total number of members in the house. From 1947 to 1983, the House had 100 seats allocated to a national block ( 全国区 , zenkoku-ku ) , of which fifty seats were allocated in each election. It

6232-575: Was larger than the first, but followed a similar design: it housed the Diet until 1925 when another fire destroyed the building. In 1910, the Finance Ministry started a commission in an attempt to take control over the new Diet Building design from the Home Ministry . Prime Minister Katsura Tarō (桂 太郎) chaired the commission, which recommended that the new building emulate an Italian Renaissance architectural style. This recommendation

6314-494: Was limited to men 25 years or older. The House of Peers, much like the British House of Lords , consisted of high-ranking nobles chosen by the Emperor. The first election by universal suffrage without distinction of sex was held in 1946, but it was not until 1947, when the constitution for post-war Japan came into effect, that universal suffrage was established In Japan. The word diet derives from Latin and

6396-598: Was modeled partly on the German Reichstag and partly on the British Westminster system . Unlike the post-war 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 or elder statesmen. To become law or bill, a constitutional amendment had to have the assent of both

6478-480: Was originally intended to give nationally prominent figures a route to the House without going through local electioneering processes. Some national political figures, such as feminists Shidzue Katō and Fusae Ichikawa and former Imperial Army general Kazushige Ugaki , were elected through the block, along with a number of celebrities such as comedian Yukio Aoshima (later Governor of Tokyo), journalist Hideo Den and actress Yūko Mochizuki . Shintaro Ishihara won

6560-560: Was plagued by controversy and political tensions. The Prime Minister of Japan at that time was General Count Yamagata Aritomo , who entered into a confrontation with the legislative body over military funding. During this time, there were many critics of the army who derided the Meiji slogan of "rich country, strong military" as in effect producing a poor country (albeit with a strong military). They advocated for infrastructure projects and lower taxes instead and felt their interests were not being served by high levels of military spending. As

6642-444: Was rare during most of the 1955 System . After the opposition victory in the 1989 election, the relative importance of the House of Councillors initially increased, as the LDP continued to govern alone and did not hold a two-thirds majority in the House of Representatives. Crucial legislation had to be negotiated with parts of the opposition. The most prominent example was the so-called "PKO Diet" ( ja:PKO国会 , PKO Kokkai ) of 1992 when

6724-410: Was the tallest building at the time the Diet building was constructed. It remained the tallest building in Japan until Hotel New Otani ’s main 73-metre (240 ft)-building was constructed in 1964. Inside the pyramid-shaped dome is a large hall, from the center of which a spiral staircase leads up to the observatory on the top floor of the tower. The seven-square-metre (75 sq ft) observatory

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