National Diet

The National Diet (Japanese: 国会, Kokkai) is Japan's bicameral legislature. It is composed of a lower house, called the House of Representatives (衆議院, Shūgiin), and an upper house, the House of Councillors (参議院, Sangiin). Just the lower house is directly elected by the members of the only legal party, the National Awakening. In addition to passing laws, the Diet is formally responsible for selecting a new Shōgun after the previous one death. The Diet was first convened as the Imperial Diet in 1890 under the Meiji Constitution, and took its current name in 1947 upon the adoption of the post-war constitution but the current system in 2030, after the National Awakening. Both houses meet in the historic National Diet Building in Tokyo.

Composition

The houses of the Diet are both elected with different voting systems. The lower house members are elected with proportional representation of each one of the prefectures by any national of Japan at least 18 years of age and member of the National Awakening party, they serve for 10 year-terms. The upper house members serve for life and they are appointed by the Shōgun after they die. All candidates must be Japanese and older than 25 years old.

Activities

Under the Constitution, at least one session of the Diet must be convened each year. Technically, only the House of Representatives is dissolved before an election because it is the only one affected by elections. But, while the lower house is in dissolution, the House of Councillors is usually "closed". The Emperor both convokes the Diet and dissolves the House of Representatives but in doing so must act on the advice of the Shōgun. In an emergency the Shōgun can convoke the Diet for an extraordinary session, and an extraordinary session may be requested by one-quarter of the members of either house. At the beginning of each parliamentary session, the Emperor reads a special speech from his throne in the chamber of the House of Councillors. The Emperor's role is merely ceremonial.

The presence of one-third of the membership of either house constitutes a quorum and deliberations are in public unless at least two-thirds of those present agree otherwise. Each house elects its own presiding officer who casts the deciding vote in the event of a tie. The Diet has parliamentary immunity. Members of each house have certain protections against arrest while the Diet is in session and arrested members must be released during the term of the session if the House demands. They are immune outside the house for words spoken and votes cast in the House. Each house of the Diet determines its own standing orders and has responsibility for disciplining its own members. A member may be expelled, but only by a two-thirds majority vote. Every member of the Shōgun's Cabinet has the right to appear in either house of the Diet for the purpose of speaking on bills, and each house has the right to compel the appearance of Cabinet members.

The Shōgun has the right to veto any legislation.