Nejire Kokkai
Nejire Kokkai ( Japanese ね じ れ 国会 , dt. About "twisted parliament") describes the situation in Japanese politics when the two chambers of the Kokkai are controlled by different majorities. In this situation, legislative proposals by the government are delayed, as the Shūgiin , the lower house, which also appoints the prime minister in the event of a conflict , can only outvote the Sangiin , the upper house, with a two-thirds majority .
In the immediate post-war period, the Ryokufūkai was the strongest faction in the Sangiin willing to work with center-left and center-right cabinets. Later, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) , founded in 1955, had a secure majority in both houses for decades. For the first time since its inception, a Nejire Kokkai came into being after the Sangiin election in 1989 , when the opposition, led by the Socialist Party of Japan, won a majority in the second chamber. After the LDP lost power for the first time in 1993, this situation occurred several times, including after the elections in 1998 , 2007 and 2010 .
Majority ratios in both chambers since 1989
| Years | Ruling parties | Majority in Shūgiin | Majority in Sangiin | Nejire Kokkai, notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 -1993 | LDP | government | opposition | Nejire Kokkai |
| 1993 -1994 | JSP , JRP , Kōmeitō , DSP , JNP , NPH , SDF , DRL | government | government | |
| 1994 | JRP, Kōmeitō, DSP, JNP, SDF, DRL | opposition | opposition | Minority government |
| 1994-1996 | LDP, JSP, NPH | government | government | |
| 1996 -1997 | LDP | opposition | opposition | Minority government |
| 1997-1998 | LDP | government | opposition | Nejire Kokkai |
| 1998 -1999 | LDP | government | opposition | Nejire Kokkai |
| 1999-2001 | LDP, Kōmeitō, LP or CP | government | government | |
| 2001 -2007 | LDP, Kōmeitō, until 2003: CP or NCP | government | government | |
| 2007 -2009 | LDP, Kōmeitō | government | opposition | Nejire Kokkai , but two-thirds majority of the governing coalition in the Shūgiin |
| 2009 -2010 | DPJ , SDP , PNP | government | government | |
| 2010 -2012 | DPJ, PNP | government | opposition | Nejire Kokkai |
| 2012 -2013 | LDP, Kōmeitō | government | opposition | Nejire Kokkai , but two-thirds majority of the governing coalition in the Shūgiin |
| 2013 - | LDP, Kōmeitō | government | government |
- ^ Especially after the LDP victory in the Shūgiin election in 1990 , some opposition parties in Sangiin were willing to cooperate.
- ↑ Formally initially a minority government, the second Hashimoto's cabinet had a governable majority in both chambers through cooperation with the previous coalition partners and individual other opposition MPs.
- ↑ By the end of 1997, the LDP gained an absolute majority in the Shūgiin again through the dissolution of the NFP and further conversions, and together with non-party members and MPs willing to cooperate, it also controlled the Sangiin.