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The president of the House of Councillors (参議院議長, Sangiin-gichō) is the presiding officer of the House of Councillors, the upper house of Japan, and together with the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the president is also the head of the legislative branch of Japan.[1] 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.
| President of the House of Councillors | |
|---|---|
| 参議院議長 | |
 Emblem of the Government of Japan | |
 | |
| House of Councillors | |
| Style | Mr. President (informal) The Honourable (formal) |
| Residence | The President's Official Residence (not in use) |
| Appointer | House of Councillors |
| Term length | Three years; renewable once |
| Constituting instrument | Constitution of Japan |
| Formation | May 20, 1947 |
| Deputy | Vice President of the House of Councillors |
The current president of the House of Councillors is Masakazu Sekiguchi, who took office on 11 November 2024.
Selection
editThe election of the president takes place on the day of the new session, under the moderation of the secretary-general of the House.[2] 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.[2]
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, Hidehisa Otsuji, is a member of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, while the vice president, Hiroyuki Nagahama, is a member of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan.
Powers and duties
editAccording 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".[2]
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, and are placed under the president's direction.[2] 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.[2]
List of presidents of the House of Councillors
edit| President | Political party | Term start | Term end | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tsuneo Matsudaira Councillor for Fukushima (1877–1949) |
Ryokufūkai | May 20, 1947 | November 14, 1949 | ||
| Naotake Satō Councillor for Aomori (1882–1971) |
Ryokufūkai | November 15, 1949 | May 19, 1953 | ||
| Yahachi Kawai Councillor for Shizuoka (1877–1960) |
Ryokufūkai | May 19, 1953 | April 3, 1956 | ||
| Tsuruhei Matsuno Councillor for Kumamoto (1883–1962) |
Ryokufūkai | April 3, 1956 | August 6, 1962 | ||
| Yūzō Shigemune Councillor for National District (1894–1976) |
Liberal Democratic | August 6, 1962 | July 17, 1971 | ||
| Kenzō Kōno Councillor for Kanagawa (1901–1983) |
Liberal Democratic | July 17, 1971 | July 3, 1977 | ||
| Ken Yasui Councillor for Tokyo (1911–1986) |
Liberal Democratic | July 28, 1977 | July 7, 1980 | ||
| Masatoshi Tokunaga Councillor for National District (1913–1990) |
Liberal Democratic | July 17, 1980 | July 9, 1983 | ||
| Mutsuo Kimura Councillor for Okayama (1913–2001) |
Liberal Democratic | July 18, 1983 | July 22, 1986 | ||
| Masaaki Fujita Councillor for Hiroshima (1922–1996) |
Liberal Democratic | July 22, 1986 | September 30, 1988 | ||
| Yoshihiko Tsuchiya Councillor for Saitama (1926–2008) |
Liberal Democratic | September 30, 1988 | October 4, 1991 | ||
| Yūji Osada Councillor for PR District (1917–2003) |
Liberal Democratic | October 4, 1991 | July 9, 1992 | ||
| Bunbē Hara Councillor for Tokyo (1913–1999) |
Liberal Democratic | August 7, 1992 | July 22, 1995 | ||
| Jūrō Saitō Councillor for Mie (born 1940) |
Liberal Democratic | August 4, 1995 | October 19, 2000 | ||
| Yutaka Inoue Councillor for Chiba (1927–2008) |
Liberal Democratic | October 19, 2000 | April 22, 2002 | ||
| Hiroyuki Kurata Councillor for Chiba (1938–2020) |
Liberal Democratic | April 22, 2002 | July 30, 2004 | ||
| Chikage Oogi Councillor for PR District (1933–2023) |
Liberal Democratic | July 30, 2004 | July 28, 2007 | ||
| Satsuki Eda Councillor for Okayama (1941–2021) |
Democratic | July 28, 2007 | July 25, 2010 | ||
| Takeo Nishioka Councillor for PR District (1936–2011) |
Democratic | July 30, 2010 | November 5, 2011 | ||
| Kenji Hirata Councillor for Gifu (born 1944) |
Democratic | November 14, 2011 | July 28, 2013 | ||
| Masaaki Yamazaki Councillor for Fukui (born 1942) |
Liberal Democratic | August 2, 2013 | July 25, 2016 | ||
| Chūichi Date Councillor for Hokkaido (born 1939) |
Liberal Democratic | August 1, 2016 | July 28, 2019 | ||
| Akiko Santō Councillor for PR District (born 1942) |
Liberal Democratic | August 1, 2019 | August 3, 2022 | ||
| Hidehisa Otsuji Councillor for Kagoshima (born 1940) |
Liberal Democratic | August 3, 2022 | November 11, 2024 | ||
| Masakazu Sekiguchi Councillor for Saitama (born 1953) |
Liberal Democratic | November 11, 2024 | Incumbent | ||
List of vice presidents of the House of Councillors
edit| Vice president | Political party | Term start | Term end | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jiichirō Matsumoto Councillor for National District (1887–1966) |
Socialist | May 20, 1947 | February 24, 1949 | ||
| Kisaku Matsushima Councillor for National District (1891–1977) |
Democratic Liberal | March 26, 1949 | May 2, 1950 | ||
| Jirō Miki Councillor for Kanagawa (1885–1963) |
Socialist | July 12, 1950 | May 2, 1953 | ||
| Yūzō Shigemune Councillor for National District (1894–1976) |
Liberal | May 19, 1953 | May 9, 1956 | ||
| Yutaka Terao Councillor for Kochi (1898–1972) |
Liberal Democratic | May 9, 1956 | June 12, 1958 | ||
| Tarō Hirai Councillor for Kagawa (1905–1973) |
Liberal Democratic | June 16, 1958 | July 7, 1962 | ||
| Yōtoku Shigemasa Councillor for National District (1895–1977) |
Liberal Democratic | August 6, 1962 | June 1, 1965 | ||
| Kenzō Kōno Councillor for Kanagawa (1901–1983) |
Liberal Democratic | July 30, 1965 | August 3, 1968 | ||
| Ken Yasui Councillor for Tokyo (1911–1986) |
Liberal Democratic | August 3, 1968 | July 17, 1971 | ||
| Yasoichi Mori Councillor for National District (1899–1990) |
Liberal Democratic | July 17, 1971 | July 7, 1974 | ||
| Kazuo Maeda Councillor for Wakayama (1910–1978) |
Liberal Democratic | July 27, 1974 | July 28, 1977 | ||
| Kan Kase Councillor for Chiba (1910–1995) |
Socialist | July 28, 1977 | August 30, 1979 | ||
| Chōzō Akiyama Councillor for Okayama (1917–2010) |
Socialist | August 30, 1979 | July 9, 1983 | ||
| Noboru Agune Councillor for National District (1912–2004) |
Socialist | July 18, 1983 | July 7, 1986 | ||
| Hideyuki Seya Councillor for Saitama (1919–2008) |
Socialist | July 22, 1986 | August 7, 1989 | ||
| Akira Ono Councillor for Fukuoka (1920–1990) |
Socialist | August 7, 1989 | April 19, 1990 | ||
| Ippei Koyama Councillor for Nagano (1914–2011) |
Socialist | April 25, 1990 | July 7, 1992 | ||
| Misao Akagiri Councillor for Chiba (1920–2010) |
Socialist | August 7, 1992 | August 4, 1995 | ||
| Kanpei Matsuo Councillor for Aomori (1927–2013) |
New Frontier | August 4, 1995 | July 25, 1998 | ||
| Hisamitsu Sugano Councillor for Hokkaido (1928–2006) |
Democratic | July 30, 1998 | July 22, 2001 | ||
| Shōji Motooka Councillor for Hyogo (1931–2017) |
Democratic | August 7, 2001 | July 25, 2004 | ||
| Giichi Tsunoda Councillor for Gunma (1937–2024) |
Democratic | July 30, 2004 | January 30, 2007 | ||
| Akira Imaizumi Councillor for Chiba (1934–2021) |
Democratic | January 30, 2007 | July 28, 2007 | ||
| Akiko Santō Councillor for PR District (born 1942) |
Liberal Democratic | August 7, 2007 | July 30, 2010 | ||
| Hidehisa Otsuji Councillor for PR District (born 1940) |
Liberal Democratic | July 30, 2010 | December 26, 2012 | ||
| Masaaki Yamazaki Councillor for Fukui (born 1942) |
Liberal Democratic | December 26, 2012 | August 2, 2013 | ||
| Azuma Koshiishi Councillor for Yamanashi (born 1936) |
Democratic | August 2, 2013 | July 25, 2016 | ||
| Akira Gunji Councillor for Ibaraki (born 1949) |
Democratic | August 1, 2016 | August 1, 2019 | ||
| Toshio Ogawa Councillor for Tokyo (born 1948) |
Constitutional Democratic | August 1, 2019 | August 3, 2022 | ||
| Hiroyuki Nagahama Councillor for Chiba (born 1958) |
Constitutional Democratic | August 3, 2022 | Incumbent | ||
References
edit- ^ "House of Councillors" (PDF).
- ^ a b c d e "Diet Law of the Constitution of Japan".