The is the presiding officer of the

House of Councillors of Japan The 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, ...

, and together with the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the President is also the head of the

legislative branch A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government. Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known as ...

of Japan. The President is elected by members of the House at the start of each session, and can serve two three-year terms, for a maximum of six years. The current President of the House of Councillors is

Hidehisa Otsuji is a Japanese politician who serves as the President of the House of Councillors since August 2022. A member of the Liberal Democratic Party, he has been a member of the House of Councillors since 1989, serving as Vice President of the House of ...

, who took office on 3 August 2022.

Selection

The election of the President takes place on the day of the new session, under the moderation of the Secretary-General of the House. The President is elected by an anonymous vote, and must have at least half of the votes in order to take office. If no one gets over half of the votes, the top two candidates will be voted again, and if they get the same number of votes, the President is elected by a lottery. The Vice President is elected separately, in the same way. Usually, the President is a senior member of the ruling party, and the Vice President is a senior member of the opposition party. The current President,

, is a member of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, while the Vice President,

Hiroyuki Nagahama is a Japanese politician of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), a member of the House of Councillors in the Diet (national legislature). A native of Tokyo and graduate of Waseda University, he was elected to the House of Representatives for the ...

, is a member of the

Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan The (CDP or CDPJ) is a social-liberal political party in Japan. It was founded in October 2017 as a split from the Democratic Party ahead of the 2017 general election. In late 2020, the party was re-founded following a merger with majori ...

Powers and duties

According to Chapter III Article 19 of the Diet Law, the President "shall maintain order in the House, arrange its business, supervise its administration, and represent the House". The President is also authorized to maintain order in the House chambers by exercising police power. Upon the President's request, police personnel are sent by the

National Police Agency National Police may refer to the national police forces of several countries: *Afghanistan: Afghan National Police *Haiti: Haitian National Police *Colombia: National Police of Colombia *Cuba: Cuban National Police *East Timor: National Police of E ...

, and are placed under the President's direction. The President may then order arrest or removal of a member of the House or a visitor. According to Chapter XIV Chapter 116 of the Diet law, when a member of the House of Councillors acts in a disorderly manner, the President can warn them or make them withdraw their statements. If the member does not obey these orders, the President can forbid the member to speak or make the member leave the chamber until the end of the proceedings. If the chamber goes out of control and becomes over chaotic, the President may also temporarily suspend or adjourn the sitting for the day.

List of presidents of the House of Councillors

Official Residence of the the President House of Councilors2

List of vice presidents of the House of Councillors

References

{{reflist Politics of Japan Lists of political office-holders in Japan 1947 establishments in Japan