Prime Minister of Japan

Prime Minister of Japan
Emblem of the Prime Minister of Japan.svg
Official Emblem of the Prime Minister of Japan
Incumbent
Naoto Kan
since 8 June 2010
Residence Kantei
Appointer The Emperor
Term length Four years or less. (The Cabinet shall resign en masse after a general election of members of the House of Representatives. Their term of office is four years and can be terminated earlier. No limits are imposed on total times or length of Prime Minister tenures of the same person.) The Prime Minister is, by convention, the leader of the victorious party.
Inaugural holder Itō Hirobumi
Formation 22 December 1885
Website www.kantei.go.jp
Japan

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The Prime Minister of Japan (内閣総理大臣 Naikaku sōri daijin?) is the head of government of Japan. He is appointed by the Emperor of Japan after being designated by the Diet from among its members, and must enjoy the confidence of the House of Representatives to remain in office. He is the head of the Cabinet and appoints and dismisses the Ministers of State; the literal translation of the Japanese name for the office is Minister for the General Administration of the Cabinet. Naoto Kan has been Prime Minister since 8 June 2010.

The office was created in 1885, four years before the enactment of the Meiji Constitution. It took its current form with the adoption of the current constitution in 1947.

Contents

Appointment

The Prime Minister is designated by both houses of the Diet, before the conduct of any other business. For that purpose, each conducts a ballot under the run-off system. If the two houses choose different individuals, then a joint committee of both houses is appointed to agree on a common candidate. Ultimately, however, if the two houses do not agree within ten days, the decision of the House of Representatives is deemed to be that of the Diet. Therefore, the House of Representatives can theoretically ensure the appointment of any Prime Minister it wishes.[1] The candidate is then formally appointed to office by the Emperor.[2]

The Prime Minister must resign if the House of Representatives adopts a motion of no confidence or defeats a vote of confidence, unless the House of Representatives is dissolved within ten days.[3]

Qualifications

Role

Constitutional roles

Statutory roles

Insignia

Standard of Prime Minister

Emblem of the Prime Minister

Crest for the Prime Minister

History

After the Meiji Restoration, the Daijō-kan system, which was used in the Nara period, was adopted as the Japanese government entity. Political powers of their leader, Daijō Daijin and his aides, Sadaijin and Nadaijin were ambiguous and frequently conflicted with other positions such as Sangi. In the 1880s, Itō Hirobumi, then one of Sangi, started to examine the reformation of the governmental organization. In 1882, Ito and his staff, Ito Miyoji and Saionji Kinmochi, traveled to Europe and investigated constitutions in constitutional monarchies, the British Empire and the German Empire. After his return to Japan, Ito urged the need of a Constitution and a modern governmental system and persuaded conservatives to approve his plan.

On 22 December 1885, in the Daijō-kan order No. 69, abolition of Daijō-kan and the induction of the Prime Minister (内閣総理大臣) and his cabinet were published.

Official office and residence

Kantei, the official residence of the Prime Minister

The Office of the Prime Minister of Japan is called the Kantei (官邸). The original Kantei served from 1929 until 2002. A new building was inaugurated at this time and now serves as the new Kantei.[13] The old Kantei was then converted to the new official residence, or Kōtei (公邸).[14]

Living former Prime Ministers

There are eleven living former prime ministers of Japan. The most recently-serving prime minister to die was Keizō Obuchi (1998–2000), on 14 2000. The most recent prime minister to die was Kiichi Miyazawa (1991–1993), on 28 June 2007.

Name Term of office Date of birth
Yasuhiro Nakasone 1982–1987 27 May 1918 (1918-05-27) (age 92)
Toshiki Kaifu 1989–1991 2 January 1931 (1931-01-02) (age 80)
Morihiro Hosokawa 1993–1994 14 January 1938 (1938-01-14) (age 73)
Tsutomu Hata 1994 24 August 1935 (1935-08-24) (age 75)
Tomiichi Murayama 1994–1996 3 March 1924 (1924-03-03) (age 86)
Yoshirō Mori 2000–2001 14 July 1937 (1937-07-14) (age 73)
Junichiro Koizumi 2001–2006 8 January 1942 (1942-01-08) (age 69)
Shinzō Abe 2006–2007 21 September 1954 (1954-09-21) (age 56)
Yasuo Fukuda 2007–2008 16 July 1936 (1936-07-16) (age 74)
Taro Aso 2008–2009 20 September 1940 (1940-09-20) (age 70)
Yukio Hatoyama 2009–2010 11 February 1947 (1947-02-11) (age 64)

See also

References

  1. ↑ Article 67 of the Constitution of Japan
  2. ↑ Article 6 of the Constitution of Japan
  3. ↑ Article 69 of the Constitution of Japan
  4. ↑ Article 5 of the Constitution of Japan
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Article 72 of the Constitution of Japan
  6. ↑ Article 74 of the Constitution of Japan
  7. ↑ Article 68 of the Constitution of Japan
  8. ↑ Article 75 of the Constitution of Japan
  9. ↑ Article 63 of the Constitution of Japan
  10. ↑ Cabinet Act, article 4
  11. ↑ Self-Defense Forces Act of 1954
  12. ↑ Administrative Litigation Act, article 27
  13. ↑ Nakata, Hiroko (2007-03-06). "The prime minister's official hub". The Japan Times Online (The Japan Times). http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20070306i1.html. Retrieved 2007-10-21. 
  14. ↑ "A virtual tour of the former Kantei - Annex etc. - The Residential Area". Prime Minister of Japan. http://www.kantei.go.jp/foreign/vt2/main/07/photo-koutei01.html. Retrieved 2007-10-21. 

External links