The is the

lower house A lower house is one of two Debate chamber, chambers of a Bicameralism, 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 co ...

of the

National Diet The is the national legislature of Japan. It is composed of a lower house, called the House of Representatives (Japan), House of Representatives (, ''Shūgiin''), and an upper house, the House of Councillors (Japan), House of Councillors (, ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. The House of Councillors is the upper house. The composition of the House is established by and of the Constitution of Japan. The House of Representatives has 465 members, elected for a four-year term. Of these, 176 members are elected from 11 multi-member constituencies by a party-list system of proportional representation, and 289 are elected from single-member constituencies. The overall voting system used to elect the House of Representatives is a

parallel system Parallel voting is a type of mixed electoral system in which representatives are voted into a single chamber using two or more different systems, most often first-past-the-post voting (FPTP) with party-list proportional representation (PR). It ...

, a form of semi-proportional representation. Under a parallel system the allocation of list seats does not take into account the outcome in the single seat constituencies. Therefore, the overall allocation of seats in the House of Representatives is not proportional, to the advantage of larger parties. In contrast, in bodies such as the German '' Bundestag'' or the New Zealand Parliament the election of single-seat members and party list members is linked, so that the overall result respects proportional representation fully or to some degree. The House of Representatives is the more powerful of the two houses, able to override vetoes on bills imposed by the House of Councillors with a two-thirds majority. The last election for the House of Representatives was held on 31 October 2021 in which the Liberal Democratic Party won a majority government with 261 seats. Along with their coalition partner, Komeito, which won 32 seats, the governing coalition holds 293 seats in total.

Right to vote and candidature

* Japanese nationals aged 18 years and older may vote (prior to 2016, the voting age was 20). * Japanese nationals aged 25 years and older may run for office in the lower house.

Differences between the Upper and Lower Houses

The House of Representatives has several powers not given to the House of Councillors. If a bill is passed by the

(the House of Representatives) but is voted down by the upper house (the House of Councillors) the House of Representatives can override the decision of the House of Councillors by a two-thirds vote in the affirmative. However, in the case of treaties, the

budget A budget is a calculation play, usually but not always financial, for a defined period, often one year or a month. A budget may include anticipated sales volumes and revenues, resource quantities including time, costs and expenses, environmenta ...

, and the selection of the prime minister, the House of Councillors can only delay passage, but not block the legislation. As a result, the House of Representatives is considered the more powerful house. Members of the House of Representatives, who are elected to a maximum of four years, sit for a shorter term than members of the House of Councillors, who are elected to full six-year terms. The lower house can also be dissolved by the Prime Minister or the passage of a nonconfidence motion, while the House of Councillors cannot be dissolved. Thus the House of Representatives is considered to be more sensitive to public opinion, and is termed the "lower house". While the legislative term is nominally 4 years, early elections for the lower house are very common, and the median lifespan of postwar legislatures has in practice been around 3 years.

Current composition

For a list of majoritarian members and proportional members from Hokkaidō, see the

List of members of the Diet of Japan This is a list of members of the Diet of Japan. The Diet has two chambers: the House of Councillors (upper house) and the House of Representatives (lower house). Councillors serve six year terms, with half being elected every three years. Repres ...

Latest election result

Election results for major parties since 1958

Shaded * green: Ruling party/coalition before and after the lower house election * red: Ruling party/coalition ''until'' the election = Change of government as a result of the lower house election * blue: Ruling party/coalition ''after'' the election = Change of government as a result of the lower house election * none: Opposition before and after the election ''Note that the composition of the ruling coalition may change between lower house elections, e.g. after upper house elections. Parties who vote with the government in the Diet, but are not part of the cabinet (e.g. SDP & NPH after the 1996 election) are not shaded.''

Parallel electoral system (since 1996)

, - ! style="background:#e9e9e9" , Parties ! style="background:#e9e9e9" , Segment !

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...

Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC/Sōmushō)
第４１回衆議院議員総選挙結果
/ref> !!

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

MIC
第４２回衆議院議員総選挙結果
/ref> !!

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...

MIC
衆議院議員総選挙・最高裁判所裁判官国民審査結果調
/ref> !!

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

MIC
平成17年9月11日執行　衆議院議員総選挙・最高裁判所裁判官国民審査結果調
/ref> !!

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

MIC
平成21年8月30日執行　衆議院議員総選挙・最高裁判所裁判官国民審査結果調
/ref> !!

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

, - ! colspan="2" , Total seats !! 500 !! 480 !! 480 !! 480 !! 480 !! 480 !! 475 !! 465 , - , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="5", Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) ''Jiyū Minshutō'' , , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2", FPTP , 38.6% , , 41.0% , , 43.9% , , 47.8% , , 38.6% , , 43.0% , , 48.1% , , 48.21% , - , 169 , , 177 , , 168 , , 219 , , 64 , , 237 , , 223 , , 226 , - , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2", PR , 32.8% , , 28.3% , , 35.0% , , 38.1% , , 26.7% , , 27.6% , , 33.1% , , 33.28% , - , 70 , , 56 , , 69 , , 77 , , 55 , , 57 , , 68 , , 66 , - , style="text-align:left;", Total seats , , style="background:#cfc;", 239 , , style="background:#cfc;", 233 , , style="background:#cfc;", 237 , , style="background:#cfc;", 296 , , style="background:#fcc;", 119 , , style="background:#ccf;", 294 , , style="background:#cfc;", 291 , , style="background:#cfc;", 284 , - , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="5", Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP) ''Rikken Minshutō'' , , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2", FPTP , colspan="7" rowspan="5" , – , , 8.75% , - , 18 , - , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2", PR , 19.88% , - , 37 , - , style="text-align:left;", Total seats , , 55 , - , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="5", Party of Hope ''Kibō no Tō'' , , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2", FPTP , colspan="7" rowspan="5" , – , , 20.64% , - , 18 , - , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2", PR , 17.36% , - , 32 , - , style="text-align:left;", Total seats , , 50 , - , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="5", Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) ''Minshutō'' (1996–2014)

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

(DP) ''Minshintō'' (2017) , , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2", FPTP , 10.6% , , 27.6% , , 36.7% , , 36.4% , , 47.4% , , 22.8% , , 22.5% , , rowspan="5" , ''no party
nominations,
≈14 members
elected'' , - , 17 , , 80 , , 105 , , 52 , , 221 , , 27 , , 38 , - , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2", PR , 16.1% , , 25.2% , , 37.4% , , 31.0% , , 42.4% , , 15.9% , , 18.3% , - , 35 , , 47 , , 72 , , 61 , , 87 , , 30 , , 35 , - , style="text-align:left;", Total seats , , 52 , , 127 , , 177 , , 113 , , style="background:#ccf;", 308 , , style="background:#fcc;", 57 , , 73 , - , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="5", Japan Restoration Party (JRP) ''Nippon Ishin no Kai'' (2012)
Japan Innovation Party (JIP) ''Ishin no Tō'' (2014) , , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2", FPTP , colspan="5" rowspan="5" , – , , 11.6% , , 8.2% , , 3.18% , - , 14 , , 11 , , 3 , - , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2", PR , 20.3% , , 15.7% , , 6.07% , - , 40 , , 30 , , 8 , - , style="text-align:left;", Total seats , , 54 , , 41 , , 11 , - , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="5", (New) Komeito (K/NK/NKP/CGP/NCGP/etc.) ''Kōmeitō'' , , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2", FPTP , rowspan="5" , – , , 2.0% , , 1.5% , , 1.4% , , 1.1% , , 1.4% , , 1.5% , , 1.5% , - , 7 , , 9 , , 8 , , 0 , , 9 , , 9 , , 8 , - , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2", PR , 13.0% , , 14.8% , , 13.3% , , 11.4% , , 11.8% , , 13.7% , , 12.51% , - , 24 , , 25 , , 23 , , 21 , , 22 , , 26 , , 21 , - , style="text-align:left;", Total seats , style="background:#cfc;", 31 , , style="background:#cfc;", 34 , , style="background:#cfc;", 31 , , style="background:#fcc;", 21 , , style="background:#ccf;", 31 , , style="background:#cfc;", 35 , , style="background:#cfc;", 29 , - , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="5", Japanese Communist Party (JCP) ''Nihon Kyōsantō'' , , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2", FPTP , 12.6% , , 12.1% , , 8.1% , , 7.2% , , 4.2% , , 7.8% , , 13.3% , , 9.02% , - , 2 , , 0 , , 0 , , 0 , , 0 , , 0 , , 1 , , 1 , - , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2", PR , 13.1% , , 11.2% , , 7.8% , , 7.2% , , 7.0% , , 6.1% , , 11.4% , , 7.9% , - , 24 , , 20 , , 9 , , 9 , , 9 , , 8 , , 20 , , 11 , - , style="text-align:left;", Total seats , , 26 , , 20 , , 9 , , 9 , , 9 , , 8 , , 21 , , 12 , - , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="5", Social Democratic Party (SDP) ''Shakai Minshutō'' , , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2", FPTP , 2.2% , , 3.8% , , 2.9% , , 1.5% , , 1.9% , , 0.7% , , 0.8% , , 1.15% , - , 4 , , 4 , , 1 , , 1 , , 3 , , 1 , , 1 , , 1 , - , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2", PR , 6.4% , , 9.4% , , 5.1% , , 5.5% , , 4.2% , , 2.3% , , 2.5% , , 1.69% , - , 11 , , 15 , , 5 , , 6 , , 4 , , 1 , , 1 , , 1 , - , style="text-align:left;", Total seats , , style="background:#fcc;", 15 , , 19 , , 6 , , 7 , , style="background:#ccf;", 7 , , 2 , , 2 , , 2 , - , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="5", New Frontier Party (NFP) ''Shinshintō'' (1996)
Liberal Party ''Jiyūtō'' (2000)
Tomorrow Party of Japan (TPJ) ''Nippon Mirai no Tō'' (2012)
People's Life Party (PLP) ''Seikatsu no Tō'' (2014)
Liberal Party (LP) ''Jiyūtō'' (2017) , , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2", FPTP , 28.0% , , 3.4% , , colspan="3" rowspan="5" , – , , 5.0% , , 1.0% , , rowspan="5" , ''no party
nominations,
2 members
elected'' , - , 96 , , 4 , , 2 , , 2 , - , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2", PR , 28.0% , , 11.0% , , 5.7% , , 1.9% , - , 60 , , 18 , , 7 , , 0 , - , style="text-align:left;", Total seats , , 156 , , 22 , , 9 , , 2 , - , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="5", Your Party (YP) ''Minna no Tō'' , , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2", FPTP , colspan="4" rowspan="5" , – , , 0.8% , , 4.7% , , colspan="2" rowspan="5" , – , - , 2 , , 4 , - , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2", PR , 4.2% , , 8.7% , - , 3 , , 14 , - , style="text-align:left;", Total seats , , 5 , , 19 , - , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="5", Conservative Party ''Hoshutō'' (2000)
New Conservative Party ''Hoshu Shintō'' (2003) , , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2", FPTP , rowspan="5" , – , , 2.0% , , 1.3% , , colspan="5" rowspan="5" , – , - , 7 , , 4 , - , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2", PR , 0.4% , , – , - , 0 , , – , - , style="text-align:left;", Total seats , , style="background:#cfc;", 7 , , style="background:#cfc;", 4 , - , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="5",

New Party Harbinger The , also known as the New Harbinger Party, was a list of political parties in Japan, political party in Japan that broke away from the Liberal Democratic Party (Japan), Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) on 22 June 1993. The party was created by ...

(NPH) ''Shintō Sakigake'' , , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2", FPTP , 1.3% , , colspan="7" rowspan="5" , – , - , 2 , - , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2", PR , 1.0% , - , 0 , - , style="text-align:left;", Total seats , , style="background:#fcc;", 2

SNTV multi-member districts (1947–1993)

, - ! style="background:#e9e9e9" , Parties !

1958 Events January * January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being. * January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed. * January 4 ** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the third ...

Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, statistics bureau
衆議院議員総選挙の党派別当選者数及び得票数（昭和33年～平成5年）
/ref> !!

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Ja ...

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cov ...

1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 5 ** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establishing full consular and ...

1969 This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon. Events January * January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco. * January 5 **Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, me ...

1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – ...

1983 The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to Internet protocol suite, TCP/IP is officially completed (this is consid ...

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal ente ...

1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...

, - ! Total seats !! 467 !! 467 !! 467 !! 486 !! 486 !! 491 !! 511 !! 511 !! 511 !! 511 !! 512 !! 512 !! 511 , - , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2", Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) ''Jiyū Minshutō'' , 57.8% , , 57.6% , , 54.7% , , 48.8% , , 47.6% , , 46.8% , , 41.8% , , 44.6% , , 47.9% , , 48.9% , , 49.4% , , 46.1% , , 36.7% , - style="background:#cfc;" , 287 , , 296 , , 283 , , 277 , , 288 , , 271 , , 249 , , 248 , , 284 , , 250 , , 300 , , 275 , , style="background:#fcc;", 223 , - , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2", Japan Socialist Party (JSP) ''Nippon Shakaitō'' , 32.9% , , 27.6% , , 29.0% , , 27.9% , , 21.4% , , 21.9% , , 20.7% , , 19.7% , , 19.3% , , 19.5% , , 17.2% , , 24.4% , , 15.4% , - , 166 , , 145 , , 144 , , 140 , , 90 , , 118 , , 123 , , 107 , , 107 , , 112 , , 85 , , 136 , , style="background:#ccf;", 70 , - , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2", Japan Renewal Party (JRP) ''Shinseitō'' , colspan="12" rowspan="2", – , , 10.1% , - , style="background:#ccf;", 55 , - , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2", Kōmeitō (K/KP/CGP/etc.) ''Kōmeitō'' , colspan="3" rowspan="2" , – , , 5.4% , , 10.9% , , 8.5% , , 11.0% , , 9.8% , , 9.0% , , 10.1% , , 9.4% , , 8.0% , , 8.1% , - , 25 , , 47 , , 29 , , 55 , , 57 , , 33 , , 58 , , 56 , , 45 , , style="background:#ccf;", 51 , - , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2", Japan New Party (JNP) ''Nihon Shintō'' , colspan="12" rowspan="2" , – , , 8.0% , - , style="background:#ccf;", 35 , - , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2", Democratic Socialist Party (DSP) ''Minshatō'' , rowspan="2" , – , , 8.8% , , 7.4% , , 7.4% , , 7.7% , , 7.0% , , 6.3% , , 6.8% , , 6.6% , , 7.3% , , 6.4% , , 4.8% , , 3.5% , - , 17 , , 23 , , 30 , , 31 , , 19 , , 29 , , 35 , , 32 , , 38 , , 26 , , 14 , , style="background:#ccf;", 15 , - , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2", Japanese Communist Party (JCP) ''Nihon Kyōsantō'' , 2.6% , , 2.9% , , 4.0% , , 4.8% , , 6.8% , , 10.5% , , 10.4% , , 10.4% , , 9.8% , , 9.3% , , 8.8% , , 8.0% , , 7.7% , - , 1 , , 3 , , 5 , , 5 , , 14 , , 38 , , 17 , , 39 , , 29 , , 26 , , 26 , , 16 , , 15 , - , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2",

(NPH) ''Shintō Sakigake'' , colspan="12" rowspan="2" , – , , 3.5% , - , style="background:#ccf;", 13

History

Meiji period (1890–1912)

The Japanese parliament, then known as the Imperial Diet, was established in 1890 as a result of the 1889 Meiji Constitution. It was modeled on the parliaments of several Western countries, particularly the

German Empire The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...

and the United Kingdom, because of the

Emperor Meiji , also called or , was the 122nd emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession. Reigning from 13 February 1867 to his death, he was the first monarch of the Empire of Japan and presided over the Meiji era. He was the figur ...

's westernizing reforms. The Imperial Diet consisted of two chambers, the elected House of Representatives which was the lower house, and the House of Peers which was the upper house. This format was similar to the House of Lords in the Westminster system, or the Herrenhaus in Prussia, where the upper house represented the

aristocracy Aristocracy (, ) is a form of government that places strength in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocracy (class), aristocrats. The term derives from the el, αριστοκρατία (), meaning 'rule of the best'. At t ...

. Both houses, and also the Emperor, had to agree on legislation, and even at the height of party-based constitutional government, the House of Peers could simply vote down bills deemed too liberal by the Meiji oligarchy, such as the introduction of women's suffrage, increases in local autonomy, or trade union rights. The prime minister and his government served at the Emperor's pleasure, and could not be removed by the Imperial Diet. However, the right to vote on, and if necessary to block, legislation including the budget, gave the House of Representatives leverage to force the government into negotiations. After an early period of frequent confrontation and temporary alliances between the cabinet and political parties in the lower house, parts of the Meiji oligarchy more sympathetic to political parties around Itō Hirobumi and parts of the liberal parties eventually formed a more permanent alliance, in the form of the

Rikken Seiyūkai The was one of the main political parties in the pre-war Empire of Japan. It was also known simply as the ''Seiyūkai''. Founded on September 15, 1900, by Itō Hirobumi,David S. Spencer, "Some Thoughts on the Political Development of the Japane ...

in 1900. The confidence of the House of Representatives was never a formal requirement to govern, but between 1905 and 1918, only one cabinet took office that did not enjoy majority support in the House of Representatives.

Taisho and early Showa periods (1912–1937)

During the

Taishō political crisis The was a period of political upheaval in Japan that occurred after the death of the Meiji Emperor in 1912. During the twelve-month period following the emperor's death, the Japanese government was led by three different Prime Minister of Japan ...

in 1913, a no-confidence vote against the third Katsura government, accompanied by major demonstrations outside the Diet, was followed shortly by resignation. Subsequently, in the period often referred to as Taishō democracy, it became increasingly customary to appoint many ministers, including several prime ministers, from the House of Representatives – Hara Takashi was the first commoner to become prime minister in 1918. In the same year, the

Rice Riots The were a series of popular disturbances that erupted throughout Japan from July to September 1918, which brought about the collapse of the Terauchi Masatake administration. Causes A precipitous rise in the price of rice caused extreme economi ...

had confronted the government with an unprecedented scale of domestic unrest, and a

German Revolution German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

brought the Prusso-German monarchy to an end, the very system Meiji oligarchs had used as the main model for the Meiji constitution to consolidate and preserve Imperial power. Even Yamagata Aritomo and other oligarchs that had been fundamentally opposed to political parties, became more inclined to cooperate with the still mainly

bourgeoisie The bourgeoisie ( , ) is a social class, equivalent to the middle or upper middle class. They are distinguished from, and traditionally contrasted with, the proletariat by their affluence, and their great cultural and financial capital. They ...

parties, to prevent a rise of socialism or other movements that might threaten Imperial rule. Socialist parties would not be represented in significant numbers in the lower house until the 1930s. The initially very high census suffrage requirement was reduced several times, until the introduction of universal male suffrage in 1925. The electoral system to the House of Representatives was also fundamentally changed several times: between systems of "small" mostly single- and few multi-member electoral districts (1890s, 1920, 1924), "medium" mostly multi-member districts (1928–1942) and "large" electoral districts (usually only one, rarely two city and one counties district per prefecture; 1900s and 1910s), using first-past-the-post in single-member districts, plurality-at-large voting (1890s) or

single non-transferable vote Single non-transferable vote or SNTV is an electoral system used to elect multiple winners. It is a generalization of first-past-the-post, applied to multi-member districts with each voter casting just one vote. Unlike FPTP, which is a single-winn ...

in the multi-member districts. Influence of the House of Representatives on the government increased, and the party cabinets of the 1920s brought Japan apparently closer to a parliamentary system of government, and there were several reforms to the upper house in 1925. However, the balance of powers between the two houses and the influential role of extra-constitutional actors such as the Genrō (who still selected the prime minister) or the military (that had brought down several cabinets) remained in essence untouched. Within a year of the Japanese invasion of Manchuria in September 1931, a series of assassinations and coup attempts followed. Party governments were replaced by governments of "national unity" (''kyokoku itchi'') which were dominated by nobles, bureaucrats and increasingly the military.

World War II and aftermath (1937–1947)

After the

Marco Polo Bridge Incident The Marco Polo Bridge Incident, also known as the Lugou Bridge Incident () or the July 7 Incident (), was a July 1937 battle between China's National Revolutionary Army and the Imperial Japanese Army. Since the Japanese invasion of Manchuria ...

and the start of war in 1937, the influence of the Imperial Diet was further diminished, though never fully eliminated, by special laws such as the National Mobilization Law and expanded powers for cabinet agencies such as the Planning Board. The House of Representatives in the Empire had a four-year term and could be dissolved by the Emperor. In contrast, members of the House of Peers had either life tenure (subject to revocation by the Emperor) or a seven-year term in the case of members elected in mutual peerage elections among the three lower peerage ranks, top taxpayer and academic peerage elections. During the war, the term of the members of the House of Representatives elected in the last pre-war election of 1937 was extended by one year. In the 1946 election to the House of Representatives, held under the U.S.-led Allied occupation of Japan, women's suffrage was introduced, and a system of "large" electoral districts (one or two per prefecture) with limited voting was used. A change in the electoral law in April 1945 had for the first time allocated 30 seats to the established colonies of the Empire: Karafuto ( Sakhalin), Taiwan, and Chōsen ( Korea); but this change was never implemented. Similarly, Korea and Taiwan were granted several appointed members of the House of Peers in 1945. In 1946, both houses of the Imperial Diet (together with the Emperor) passed the postwar constitution which took effect in 1947. The Imperial Diet was renamed the National Diet, the House of Peers was replaced by an elected upper house called the House of Councillors, and the House of Representatives would now be able to override the upper house in important matters. The constitution also gave the Diet exclusive legislative authority, without involvement of the Emperor, and explicitly made the cabinet responsible to the Diet and requires that the prime minister has the support of a majority in the House of Representatives.

Late Showa period (1947–1989)

The Diet first met under the new constitution on 20 May 1947. Four days later, Tetsu Katayama of the Democratic Socialist Party became Japan's first socialist prime minister and the first since the introduction of parliamentarianism. Since the end of US rule in 1952, it has been the norm that the prime minister dissolves the House of Representatives before its 4-year term expires. Only once, in 1976, did the House last a full 4 years. It has become tradition to give nicknames to each dissolution, usually referencing a major political issue or controversy. One infamous example was on 14 March 1953, when Shigeru Yoshida dissolved the House and called for new election, after he name called people during a meeting of the budget committee. This came to be known as the ''"you idiot" dissolution''.Dissolving the House of Representatives: A Powerful Political Tool - nippon.com
/ref> In 1955, prime minister Ichirō Hatoyama oversaw the creation of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which since his third government has dominated Japanese politics under the

1955 System The , also known as the one-and-a-half party system, is the dominant-party system in Japan that has existed since 1955, in which the right-wing Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has successively held a majority government with major opposition par ...

. The LDP would govern without interruption for nearly 40 years until the 1993 election, alone save for a three-year coalition government with the

New Liberal Club was a political party in Japan that was founded on 25 June 1976 as a breakaway from the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). The New Liberal Club formed a coalition government with the LDP in December 1983, with the New Liberal's president, Seiichi T ...

after the 1983 election. Hatoyama planned to change the electoral system to first past the post, introducing a bill to that effect in March 1956. This was met with opposition from the Socialist Party, who criticized Hatoyama's plan as a "

Hatomander The was an electoral reform proposed in the 1950s by Japanese prime minister Ichirō Hatoyama and his third cabinet. His plan was to replace the SNTV multi-member constituencies for the House of Representatives (usually called ''chū-senkyo-ku'', ...

". The bill passed the House of Representatives in May 1956, but was never voted on by the House of Councillors. Electoral reform came into vogue again in the 1970s, but Kakuei Tanaka's plan met opposition internally in the LDP and never came to a vote in either chamber of the Diet.

Recent history (since 1989)

Japan entered a lengthy recession in the 1990s (see Lost Decades), which many people blamed on the LDP. In the 1993 election, the party lost power for the first time under the 1955 System, when an eight-party coalition led by Morihiro Hosokawa of the Japan New Party were able to form a government. This government fell apart after nine months, and was succeeded by the

Hata Cabinet The Hata Cabinet governed Japan for two months from April 28 to June 30, 1994, under the leadership of Tsutomu Hata of the Japan Renewal Party. Political background Hata became Prime Minister following the resignation of Morihiro Hosokawa as ...

, another short-lived non-LDP government. The LDP returned to power in 1994 with the

Murayama Cabinet The governed Japan under the leadership of Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama from 1994 until a 1995 Cabinet Reshuffle. Murayama was elected prime minister by the National Diet on 29 June 1994 after the threat of a no-confidence vote had brought d ...

, this time in a coalition with their old rivals the Socialists, whose leader Tomiichi Murayama became prime minister. As with party colleagues Ichirō Hatoyama and Kakuei Tanaka before him, prime minister Toshiki Kaifu of the LDP unsuccessfully tried to reform the electoral system in 1991. However, the Morihiro Hosokawa government got the

1994 Japanese electoral reform The 1994 electoral reform in Japan was a change from the previous single non-transferable vote (SNTV) system of multi-member districts (MMD) to a mixed electoral system of single-member districts (SMD) with plurality voting and a party list syst ...

through the Diet, introducing a parallel voting system which went into effect at the next election in 1996. Under this system, which remains in effect as of 2022, 300 (since reduced to 289) members of the House of Representatives are elected using first past the post in single-member constituencies, while 200 (since reduced to 176) members are elected in regional blocs using party-list proportional representation. The LDP once again lost power at the 2009 election, when the

-led

Hatoyama Cabinet The Yukio Hatoyama Cabinet governed Japan from September 2009 to June 2010, following the landslide victory of the Democratic Party of Japan in the election on 30 August 2009. The election marked the first time in Japanese post-war history that v ...

took over. The LDP and Komeito, which had formed a two-party government between 2003 and 2009, came to power again after the

2012 election This national electoral calendar for 2012 lists the national/ federal elections held in 2012 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January *3–4 January: ...

. Shinzo Abe, who had previously led the

First Abe Cabinet The First Abe Cabinet governed Japan under the leadership of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe from September 2006 to September 2007. The government was a coalition between the Liberal Democratic Party (Japan), Liberal Democratic Party and the Komeito ...

, was prime minister for another stint lasting eight years.

List of House of Representatives general elections

19th century

20th century

21st century

Members (since 1990)

References

External links

House of Representatives Website (in English)
– Official site of the House of Representatives
House of Representatives Internet TV
Official site {{DEFAULTSORT:House Of Representatives Of Japan Government of Japan

National Diet