Shūgiin

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Shūgiin
(House of Representatives,
literally "mass advisory chamber")
Parliament building House of Representatives Chamber
logo House of Representatives Chamber
Basic data
Seat: Kokkai gijidō (before 1947 teikoku-gikai gijidō , "Reichstag building"), Nagatachō , Chiyoda District , Tokyo Prefecture
Legislative period : 4 years
(so far only achieved in 1902, 1908, 1912, 1942 and 1976, usually dissolved beforehand)
First session: 1st Reichstag (with the manor house ) November 1890
1st Kokkai (with the council house ) May 1947
MPs: 465
Current legislative period
Last choice: October 22, 2017
Chair: gichō (President)
Tadamori Ōshima , non-attached, LDP , Aomori 3

fuku-gichō (Vice-President)
Hirotaka Akamatsu , non-attached, KDP , Aichi 5
Factions
       


Distribution of seats: Fractions June 17th, 2020, end of 201st NV

Government factions (313)

  • Liberal Democratic Party / Independent Assembly ( LDP + non-party) 284
  • Kōmeitō 29
    • Opposition factions (144)
  • KDP / DVP / Soz. Backup / Independent Forum ( KDP + DVP + SDP + non-party) 120
  • KPY 12
  • Ishin / Independent Assembly ( Ishin + non-party) 11
  • Party of Hope 2
    • Non-attached government and opposition groups (8)
  • Non-attached (LDP + KDP + N-Koku + Sōzō + non-party) 8
    		•
    Website
    www.shugiin.go.jp (Japanese, English)

    The Shūgiin ( Japanese 衆議院 ; in Western publications also referred to as the House of Representatives or House of Representatives ) is the lower house in the two-chamber system of the Kokkai , the Japanese parliament . In the political system of Japan it is superior to the Sangiin .

    history

    Pre-war period

    With the Meiji Constitution , the Japanese Empire was constitutionalized according to the British and Prussian models and a Reichstag ( teikoku gikai ) was set up consisting of two chambers with equal rights, the aristocratic mansion and the elected Shūgiin. Initially, the right to vote was restricted to men over 25 years of age (passive: over 30) and linked to a minimum annual amount of taxes paid. This census restriction was relaxed over time and lifted entirely in 1925.

    post war period

    With the Japanese Constitution , the mansion was abolished and replaced by the Sangiin. In addition, the Shūgiin received additional rights and the opportunity to overrule the Sangiin on certain issues. Furthermore, the age limit for the right to vote was reduced to 20 years. The women's suffrage was introduced as early as the 1945th

    Composition and choice

    The regional proportional representation for the Shūgiin. The prefectures of Hokkaidō and Tokyo each form a block.

    Of the 465 MPs since 2017, 289 are elected in individual constituencies by simple majority voting and 176 are assigned across eleven regional constituencies, so-called proportional representation “blocks” ( 比例 ブ ロ ッ ク hirei burokku ). With regard to the distribution of seats, majority voting and proportional representation are completely separate from one another: a trench voting system .

    A constituency winner must receive at least one-sixth of the valid votes to be elected. In the case of proportional representation, political parties may also nominate candidates running in one constituency at the same time on their lists in the legal sense . The allocation of proportional representation mandates takes place according to the D'Hondt procedure . The regional blocks are: Hokkaidō (8 seats), Tōhoku (13), North Kantō (19), Tokyo (17), South Kantō (22), Hokuriku - Shin'etsu (11), Tōkai (21), Kinki (28), Chūgoku (11), Shikoku (6) and Kyūshū (20). The list candidates are ordered by the parties, but candidates who are running in constituencies at the same time are often placed on the list; the order of the candidates is then based on the losing constituency candidates according to the “loss rate” ( 惜敗 率 , sekihairitsu ), ie the number of votes of the losing candidate divided by the number of votes of the constituency winner .

    Vacant majority seats are filled in the constituencies through by-elections that are held in April and October. In the event of vacant proportional representation, the next candidate on the party list (from the last general Shūgiin election) in the affected block automatically moves up.

    Japanese citizens over the age of 25 who have not been convicted of certain crimes are eligible. Candidates running in constituencies must deposit 3,000,000 yen upon registration, which will be refunded if they receive at least one-tenth of the valid votes. Parties must deposit 6,000,000 yen for each candidate on the proportional representation list (or an additional 3,000,000 yen for candidates running in one constituency at the same time). The amount refunded is based on the number of candidates selected: 3,000,000 yen for each candidate selected from the list and 6,000,000 yen for each directly selected list candidate. Majority & proportional representation dual candidates who fail to meet the 10% quorum for deposit reimbursement in the majority election are also disqualified for proportional representation and will be removed from the proportional representation list.

    Historical changes in electoral law

    The electoral method and the constituency division have changed fundamentally several times over the course of history. A distinction is made between three systems:

    • The “large constituencies” ( 大選 挙 区 , dai-lich-ku-ku ) were largely congruent with prefectures , only each Shi (urban district; at that time mainly large cities, e.g. Tokyo was the only urban district in the Tokyo prefecture until 1917 ) received its own constituency. They were used from 1902 to 1917, with the members of parliament being elected with non-transferable individual votes (identical to simple majority voting in constituencies with only one mandate). In the election of 1946 , the “large constituencies” were used again, this time, however, without constituencies for the large cities, instead the largest prefectures were divided into two constituencies. In 1946, the MPs were elected by “block voting” ( limited voting ) with two or three votes depending on the number of seats in the constituency.
    • As “middle constituencies” ( 中選 挙 区 , chū-lich-ku ), the subdivisions into multi-mandate constituencies are referred to, which most prefectures divided several times. They were used continuously from 1928 to 1993 (with the exception of the 1946 election), with the exact division and number of representatives in the constituencies changed several times.
    • The system of “small constituencies” ( 小 選 挙 区 , shō -zun-ku-ku ) refers to the subdivisions that predominantly or, as today, consist exclusively of single-mandate constituencies. The deputies are determined by simple majority vote. They were used in the elections between 1889 and 1898, 1920 and 1924, and since 1996. The current electoral system was used for the first time in the 1996 Shūgiin election after the 1994 electoral reform ; The trench voting system was also introduced, in which, in addition to the directly elected MPs, some of the mandates are also determined by proportional representation.

    “Hereditary” mandates

    It is traditionally quite common for MPs to “inherit” their parliamentary seat from their father (or adoptive father , often the father-in-law), i.e. to be elected as a direct successor. Such so-called "hereditary representatives" ( 世襲 議員 , seshū giin ) made up 45 percent of the LDP MPs and 29 percent of the entire Shūgiin in 1993. In 2000 around a quarter (122) of the MPs were Nisei , i.e. in the second generation.

    In the 2000s, restrictions on “inheritance politicians” were discussed several times. In 2009, the LDP-led government under Tarō Asō (politician in the fifth generation, but without a direct “inheritance” from his constituency) could not agree on a reform. The then largest opposition party, the Democratic Party under Yukio Hatoyama (fourth generation politician, also without a direct "inheritance" from his constituency), had introduced a corresponding bill that would have banned candidates from succeeding a closely related MP in his constituency to run.

    Competencies

    The Shūgiin shares the legislative power with the Sangiin; normally a law requires the consent of both houses. However, in the event of a conflict, the Shūgiin has the option of overriding the Sangiin with a two-thirds majority . If the Sangiin does not vote on a bill passed in the Shūgiin within 60 days, the Shūgiin's vote applies. A simple majority in the Shūgiin is sufficient for households and international contracts, and the period for automatic validity is reduced to 30 days.

    When electing the prime minister , the vote in the Shūgiin is also decisive, in the case of a non-vote in the Sangiin after ten days. An accepted vote of no confidence or lost confidence vote against the cabinet ( 内閣 [不] 信任 決議 naikaku fu- / shinnin ketsugi ) in the Shūgiin must, according to Article 69 of the Constitution, either through the dissolution of the chamber by the cabinet and the proclamation of New elections or the resignation of the entire cabinet are answered. In the post-war period there were four successful votes of no confidence: in 1948 (see below) and 1953 against the second and fourth cabinets of Yoshida Shigeru , in 1980 against the second cabinet of Ōhira Masayoshi and in 1993 against the cabinet of Miyazawa . All four resulted in new elections, which led to a change of prime minister in 1980 (through Ōhira's exhaustion during the election campaign) and in 1993.

    The cabinet led by the Prime Minister can instruct the Tennō at any time to dissolve the Shūgiin and thus bring about new elections. The provisions of the constitution regarding the dissolution of the Shūgiin are clear only in the event of a loss of confidence or a successful vote of no confidence. The current rule, derived from Article 7, a dissolution of the Shūgiin without a vote of no confidence, was still a dispute in the immediate post-war period. The constitutional article lists the state tasks ( kokuji kōi ) of the Tennō, which he carries out "on the recommendation and with the consent of the cabinet", including the dissolution of the Shūgiin. In 1948, following the interpretation of the constitution by the occupation authorities, a vote of no confidence was passed in order to achieve the dissolution of the chamber and the re- election in 1949, as requested by Prime Minister Yoshida Shigeru . In 1952, a few months after the end of the occupation, Yoshida carried out a dissolution of the Shūgiin for the first time without reference to Article 69 and without a vote of no confidence.

    The chamber itself can pass a resolution on dissolution ( 解散 要求 決議 , kaisan yōkyū ketsugi ), but this has no binding effect.

    Current composition

    The most recent, 48th House of Representatives election took place on October 22, 2017. The parties won the following number of mandates:

    Political party MPs
    Liberal Democratic Party 281
    Constitutional Democratic Party 54
    Kibō no Tō 50
    Kōmeitō 29
    Communist Party of Japan 12
    Nippon Ishin no Kai 11
    Social Democratic Party 2
    Independent
    [d. H. without party nomination; including LDP, DFP and LP members]     		26th
    total 465

    The parliamentary groups in the House of Representatives currently have the following strengths (as of June 19, 2020, last day of the 201st National Assembly):

    Fractions ( kaiha ; English currently “in-house groups”) MPs
    Surname English Party affiliations of the members Women
    Jiyūminshutō / Mushozoku no Kai
    " Liberal Democratic Party / Independent Assembly"     		Liberal Democratic Party LDP, non-party 284 (61.1%) 21st
    Rikken Minshu / Kokumin / Shaho / Mushozoku Forum
    “ KDP / DVP / Soz. Security / Independent Forum "     		The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, Democratic Party For the People, The Reviewing Group on Social Security Policy, and the Independent KDP, DVP, SDP , non-party 119 (25.6%) 17th
    Kōmeitō
    "Justice Party"     		Komeito Kōmeitō 29 (6.2%) 4th
    Nihon Kyōsantō
    Communist Party of Japan     		Japanese Communist Party KPJ 12 (2.6%) 3
    Nippon Ishin no Kai / Mushozoku no Kai
    “Assembly of Renewal / Restoration Japan, Independent. Verse."     		Nippon Ishin (Japan Innovation Party) Ishin, non-party 11 (2.4%) 1
    Kibō no Tō
    "Party of Hope"     		The Party of Hope Kibo 2 (0.4%) 0
    Non-attached LDP (President), KDP (Vice President), NKoku , Sōzō , non- party 8 (1.7%) 0
    total 465 46 (9.9%)

    The Liberal Democrat Tadamori Ōshima (Aomori 3) was re-elected President on November 1, 2017 , while the Constitutional Democrat Hirotaka Akamatsu (Aichi 5) is Vice-President .

    Seating arrangements

    The seating arrangements for the political groups are determined by the President at the beginning of a session. It does not correspond to political left-right classifications, as in some other parliaments, e.g. B. is the case with the German Bundestag (see Political Spectrum # Influence on the seating arrangements in parliaments ). Instead, the parliamentary groups are ordered from right to left in descending order of size, with non-attached MPs on the far left. Within the parliamentary groups, the representatives are placed according to the number of re-elections.

    See also

    Web links

    Individual evidence

    1. ↑ a b c Sōmushō : 衆議院 小 選 挙 区 の 区 割 り の 改 定 定 等 に つ い て
    2. ↑ a b Shūgiin: 会 派 名 及 び 会 派別 所属 議員 数 , accessed on June 19, 2020.
    3. ↑ Dieter Nohlen, Florian Grotz, Christof Hartmann (Eds.): Elections in Asia and the Pacific: A Data Handbook: Volume II: South East Asia, East Asia and the South Pacific. Oxford University Press, New York 2002, ISBN 978-0-19-924959-6
    4. ^ Embassy of Japan in Germany
    5. ↑ The New York Times, July 17, 1993: Tokyo Journal; Japan's New Generation Of Old Political Names
    6. ↑ BBC News, June 21, 2000: Japanese politics: A family affair
    7. ^ University of Hamburg, News of the Society for Natural History and Ethnology of East Asia (NOAG), born 1996, Issue 159–160: Verena Blechinger: Politics and Family Ties - "Hereditary Members" in the Japanese Parliament (PDF)
    8. ↑ LDP puts off ban on hereditary candidates. In: The Japan Times . June 3, 2009, accessed October 19, 2010 .
    9. ↑ DPJ submits bill to cut back on culture of hereditary politicians. In: The Japan Times . June 2, 2009, accessed October 19, 2010 .
    10. ^ Richard B. Finn: Winners in Peace: MacArthur, Yoshida, and Postwar Japan . University of California Press, 1992, ISBN 0-520-06909-9 , pp. 214 ( limited preview in Google Book search).
    11. ^ Tomohito Shinoda: Leading Japan: The Role of the Prime Minister . Greenwood Publishing Group, 2000, pp. 65 f . ( limited preview in Google Book search).
    12. ↑ The House of Representatives, Japan: Strength of the In-House Groups in the House of Representatives , accessed October 18, 2019.
    13. ↑ Shūgiin: 国会 施 設 案 内