Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly (東京都議会 Tōkyō-to gikai?) is the prefectural parliament of Tokyo.
Its 127 members are elected every four years in 42 districts by single non-transferable vote. 23 electoral districts equal the Special wards of Tokyo, another 18 districts are made up by the cities, towns and villages in the Western part of the prefecture, one district consists of the outlying islands (Hachijō-jima, Miyake-jima, Ogasawara and Izu Islands).
The assembly is responsible for enacting and amending prefectural ordinances, approving the budget (5.7 billion yen in fiscal 2007) and voting on important administrative appointments made by the governor including the vice governor.
Due to the special nature of the Tokyo metropolis compared to other prefectures the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly has certain powers that would usually fall into the responsibilities of municipal parliaments. This is to ensure efficient and unified urban administration for the 23 special wards which comprise the urban core of the Greater Tokyo Area.
[edit] Current composition (2008)
After the Tokyo prefectural election, 2005 and the latest by-elections on April 8, 2007, the Assembly is composed as follows.
| Composition of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly (as of February 12, 2008) | |
|---|---|
| Parties | Seats |
| Liberal Democratic Party of Japan | 48 |
| Democratic Party of Japan | 35 |
| New Komeito party | 22 |
| Japanese Communist Party | 13 |
| Tokyo Citizens' Network (東京・生活者ネットワーク) | 4 |
| Independents | 4 |
| Total (2 vacancies) | 125 |
