The Japanese parliament is called the Diet and consists of an upper house (House of Councillors) and a lower house (House of Representatives). The lower house is more powerful and can override the upper house with a two-thirds vote. Members of the lower house elect the prime minister who heads the government and appoints ministers to form the cabinet. Elections are held every four years for 300 members of the lower house from single-seat constituencies and every six years half the members are elected to the 252-seat upper house.

1. Voting system
of Japan

2. • In Japan, representatives are elected to the national
parliament, the Diet. The Diet is divided into an upper house
(the House of Councillors) and a lower house (the House of
Representatives). The lower house is the more powerful of the
two. If the upper house rejects a bill passed by the lower
house, it becomes law if passed again by the lower house in a
two-thirds vote.

3. • Because Japan has a parliamentary political system like that
of England, members of the House of Representatives elect a
prime minister from among themselves by majority vote. The
prime minister is usually a leader of the majority party.

4. • The prime minister is the head of the government. To help him
direct the government, the prime minister forms a cabinet
made up of people who are his political allies.

5. • The Electoral System
• The House of Representatives in Japan has 500 members, who are elected
elected for a four-year term. Three hundred of these members come from
from single-seat constituencies, meaning that, as in the United States, voters
voters in a given district have one vote, and the candidate who receives the
the most votes wins and becomes the sole representative of that district.

6. • However, the remaining 200 members of Japan's House of
Representatives are elected by proportional representation in
11 regional blocs. Under a proportional representation system,
voters in a given region vote not for an individual candidate,
but for a party.

7. • The number of Diet seats that a party receives is based on the
percentage of votes that it receives. Each party gives its seats
to its top candidates, who are ranked from highest to lowest
prior to elections.

8. • The House of Councillors (upper house) has 252 members, who are
elected for six-year terms. Elections are held for half of all upper house
seats every three years. Thus, for example, elections will be held in 1998
to fill 126 upper house seats; then in 2001, there will be another set of
elections to fill the remaining 126 upper house seats.

9. • There is strict government control over campaigns. Candidates
are allowed only one campaign car and a small number of
posters and other printed material. The campaign itself lasts
only 12 days. Strict rules in Japan control such
advertisements, and candidates are only allowed a few,
government-financed commercials or television appearances.

10. Thanks for your attention!