Speaker of the House of Representatives (Japan)
Speaker of the House of Representatives House of Representatives Style Mr. Speaker (informal) The Honourable (formal) Residence The Speaker’s Official Residence (not in use) Appointer The House Term length Four years; renewable only if there is a dissolution Constituting instrument Constitution of Japan Formation November 29, 1890; 134 years ago (1890-11-29 ) Deputy Vice Speaker of the House of Representatives (衆議院副議長 Shūgiin-fukugichō )Banri Kaieda (since 10 November 2021)
The Speaker of the House of Representatives (衆議院議長 , Shūgiin-gichō ) is the presiding officer of the House of Representatives of Japan , and together with the President of the House of Councillors , the Speaker is also the head of the legislative branch of Japan. The Speaker is elected by members of the House at the start of each session, and can serve for a maximum of four years.
The current Speaker of the House of Representatives is Fukushiro Nukaga , who took office on 20 October 2023.
Selection
Nancy Pelosi with Former Speaker Tadamori Ōshima at the G7 Brest Parlement
The election of the Speaker takes place on the day of the new session, under the moderation of the Secretary-General of the House.[ 1] The Speaker 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 Speaker is elected by a lottery. The Vice Speaker is elected separately, in the same way.[ 1]
Usually, the Speaker is a senior member of the ruling party, and the Vice Speaker is a senior member of the opposition party. The current Speaker, Hiroyuki Hosoda , is a member of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party , while the Vice Speaker, Banri Kaieda , is a member of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan .
Powers and Duties
The official residence of the Speaker of the House of Representatives
According to Chapter III Article 19 of the Diet Law, the Speaker "shall maintain order in the House, arrange its business, supervise its administration, and represent the House".[ 1]
The Speaker is also authorized to maintain order in the House chambers by exercising police power. Upon the Speaker's request, police personnel are sent by the National Police Agency , and are placed under the Speaker's direction.[ 1] The Speaker 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 Representatives acts in a disorderly manner, the Speaker can warn them or make them withdraw their statements. If the member does not obey these orders, the Speaker 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 Speaker may also temporarily suspend or adjourn the sitting for the day.[ 1]
List of speakers
Speaker
Political party
Term start
Term end
Imperial Diet1890–1947
Nobuyuki Nakajima Rep for Kanagawa–5th (1846–1899)
Rikken Jiyūtō
November 26, 1890
December 25, 1891
Hoshi Tōru Rep for Tochigi–1st (1850–1901)
Rikken Jiyūtō
May 3, 1892
December 13, 1893
Kusumoto Masataka Rep for Tokyo–4th (1850–1901)
Dōmei Club
December 15, 1893
December 30, 1893
Rikken Kakushintō
May 12, 1894
June 2, 1894
October 15, 1894
June 8, 1896
Kazuo Hatoyama Rep for Tokyo–9th (1856–1911)
Shimpotō
December 22, 1896
December 25, 1897
Kenkichi Kataoka Rep for Kochi–2nd (1844–1903)
Rikken Seiyūkai
May 15, 1898
June 10, 1898
November 9, 1898
December 28, 1902
May 9, 1903
October 31, 1903
Hironaka Kōno Rep for Fukushima (1849–1923)
Kenseitō
December 5, 1903
December 11, 1903
Masahisa Matsuda Rep for Saga (1845–1914)
Rikken Seiyūkai
March 18, 1904
January 19, 1906
Teiichi Sugita Rep for Fukui (1851–1929)
Rikken Seiyūkai
January 23, 1906
December 23, 1908
Sumitaka Haseba Rep for Kagoshima (1854–1914)
Rikken Seiyūkai
December 23, 1908
September 6, 1911
Ikuzō Ōoka Rep for Yamaguchi (1856–1928)
Rikken Seiyūkai
December 24, 1911
March 6, 1914
Sumitaka Haseba Rep for Kagoshima (1854–1914)
Rikken Seiyūkai
March 7, 1914
March 15, 1914
Shigesaburō Oku Rep for Kyoto (1861–1924)
Rikken Seiyūkai
March 17, 1914
December 25, 1914
Saburō Shimada Rep for Yokohama (1852–1923)
Rikken Dōshikai
May 17, 1915
January 25, 1917
Ikuzō Ōoka Rep for Yamaguchi (1856–1928)
Rikken Seiyūkai
June 21, 1917
February 26, 1920
Shigesaburō Oku Rep for Kyoto–5th (1861–1924)
Rikken Seiyūkai
June 26, 1920
February 16, 1923
Gizō Kasuya Rep for Saitama–2nd (1866–1930)
Rikken Seiyūkai
February 17, 1923
January 31, 1924
Independent
June 26, 1924
March 25, 1927
Shigeru Morita Rep for Kyoto–1st (1872–1932)
Kenseikai
March 26, 1927
January 21, 1928
Hajime Motoda Rep for Oita–2nd (1858–1938)
Rikken Seiyūkai
April 20, 1928
March 14, 1929
Mosuke Kawahara Rep for Saga–2nd (1859–1929)
Rikken Seiyūkai
March 15, 1929
May 15, 1929
Zenbē Horikiri Rep for Fukushima–1st (1882–1946)
Rikken Seiyūkai
December 26, 1929
January 21, 1930
Ikunosuke Fujisawa Rep for Miyagi–1st (1859–1940)
Rikken Minseitō
April 23, 1930
April 13, 1931
Keijirō Nakamura Rep for Wakayama–1st (1867–1937)
Rikken Minseitō
December 26, 1931
January 21, 1932
Kiyoshi Akita Rep for Tokushima–2nd (1881–1944)
Rikken Seiyūkai
March 18, 1932
December 13, 1932
Kunimatsu Hamada Rep for Mie–2nd (1868–1939)
Rikken Seiyūkai
December 24, 1934
January 21, 1936
Kōjirō Tomita Rep for Kochi–1st (1872–1938)
Rikken Minseitō
May 1, 1936
March 31, 1937
Shōju Koyama Rep for Aichi–1st (1876–1959)
Rikken Minseitō
July 23, 1937
December 22, 1941
Kazutami Tago Rep for Iwate–1st (1881–1963)
Taisei Yokusankai
December 24, 1941
May 25, 1942
Tadahiko Okada Rep for Okayama–1st (1878–1958)
Taisei Yokusankai
May 25, 1942
April 9, 1945
Toshio Shimada Rep for Shimane–2nd (1877–1947)
Taisei Yokusankai
June 8, 1945
December 18, 1945
Senzō Higai Rep for Yamanashi (1890–1953)
Liberal
May 22, 1946
August 23, 1946
Takeshi Yamazaki Rep for Ibaraki (1886–1957)
Liberal
May 22, 1946
August 23, 1946
National Diet1947–present
Komakichi Matsuoka Rep for Tokyo–2nd (1888–1958)
Socialist
May 21, 1947
December 23, 1948
Kijūrō Shidehara Rep for Osaka–3rd (1872–1951)
Liberal
February 11, 1949
March 10, 1951
Jōji Hayashi Rep for Kochi (1889–1960)
Liberal
March 13, 1951
August 1, 1952
Banboku Ōno Rep for Gifu–1st (1890–1964)
Liberal
August 26, 1952
August 28, 1952
October 24, 1952
March 14, 1953
Yasujirō Tsutsumi Rep for Shiga (1889–1964)
Kaishintō
May 18, 1953
December 10, 1954
Tō Matsunaga Rep for Saitama–1st (1887–1968)
Democratic
December 11, 1954
January 24, 1955
Shūji Masutani Rep for Ishikawa–2nd (1888–1973)
Liberal Democratic
March 18, 1955
April 25, 1958
Nirō Hoshijima Rep for Okayama–2nd (1887–1980)
Liberal Democratic
June 11, 1958
December 13, 1958
Ryōgorō Katō Rep for Aichi–1st (1883–1970)
Liberal Democratic
December 13, 1958
February 1, 1960
Ichirō Kiyose Rep for Hyogo–4th (1884–1967)
Liberal Democratic
February 1, 1960
October 24, 1960
December 7, 1960
October 23, 1963
Naka Funada Rep for Tochigi–1st (1895–1979)
Liberal Democratic
December 7, 1963
December 20, 1965
Kikuichirō Yamaguchi Rep for Wakayama–1st (1897–1981)
Liberal Democratic
December 20, 1965
December 3, 1966
Kentarō Ayabe Rep for Oita–2nd (1890–1972)
Liberal Democratic
December 3, 1966
December 27, 1966
Mitsujirō Ishii Rep for Fukuoka–3rd (1889–1981)
Liberal Democratic
February 15, 1967
July 16, 1969
Takechiyo Matsuda Rep for Osaka–5th (1888–1980)
Liberal Democratic
December 3, 1969
December 27, 1969
Naka Funada Rep for Tochigi–1st (1895–1979)
Liberal Democratic
January 14, 1970
November 13, 1972
Umekichi Nakamura Rep for Tokyo–5th (1901–1984)
Liberal Democratic
December 22, 1972
May 29, 1973
Shigesaburō Maeo Rep for Kyoto–2nd (1905–1981)
Liberal Democratic
May 29, 1973
December 9, 1976
Shigeru Hori Rep for Saga (1901–1979)
Liberal Democratic
December 24, 1976
February 1, 1979
Hirokichi Nadao Rep for Hiroshima–1st (1899–1994)
Liberal Democratic
February 1, 1979
September 7, 1979
October 30, 1979
May 19, 1980
Hajime Fukuda Rep for Fukui (1902–1997)
Liberal Democratic
July 17, 1980
November 28, 1983
Kenji Fukunaga Rep for Saitama–5th (1910–1988)
Liberal Democratic
December 26, 1983
January 24, 1985
Michita Sakata Rep for Kumamoto–2nd (1916–2004)
Liberal Democratic
January 24, 1985
June 2, 1986
Kenzaburō Hara Rep for Hyogo–2nd (1907–2004)
Liberal Democratic
July 22, 1986
June 2, 1989
Hajime Tamura Rep for Mie–2nd (1924–2014)
Liberal Democratic
June 2, 1989
January 24, 1990
Yoshio Sakurauchi Rep for Shimane (1912–2003)
Liberal Democratic
February 27, 1990
June 18, 1993
Takako Doi Rep for Hyogo–2nd (1928–2014)
Socialist
August 6, 1993
September 27, 1996
Soichiro Ito Rep for Miyagi–4th (1924–2001)
Liberal Democratic
November 7, 1996
June 2, 2000
Tamisuke Watanuki Rep for Toyama–3rd (born 1927)
Liberal Democratic
July 4, 2000
October 10, 2003
Yōhei Kōno Rep for Kanagawa–17th (born 1937)
Liberal Democratic
November 19, 2003
August 8, 2005
September 21, 2005
July 21, 2009
Takahiro Yokomichi Rep for Hokkaido–1st (1941–2023)
Democratic
September 16, 2009
November 16, 2012
Bunmei Ibuki Rep for Kyoto–1st (born 1938)
Liberal Democratic
December 26, 2012
November 21, 2014
Nobutaka Machimura Rep for Hokkaido–5th (1944–2015)
Liberal Democratic
December 24, 2014
April 21, 2015
Tadamori Ōshima Rep for Aomori–3rd (born 1946)
Liberal Democratic
April 21, 2015
September 28, 2017
November 1, 2017
October 14, 2021
Hiroyuki Hosoda Rep for Shimane–1st (1944–2023)
Liberal Democratic
November 10, 2021
October 20, 2023
Fukushiro Nukaga Rep for Ibaraki–2nd (born 1944)
Liberal Democratic
October 20, 2023
October 9, 2024
November 11, 2024
Incumbent
List of vice speakers
Vice speaker
Political party
Term start
Term end
Imperial Diet1890–1947
Tsuda Mamichi Rep for Tokyo–8th (1829–1903)
Taiseikai
November 26, 1890
December 25, 1891
Sone Arasuke Rep for Yamaguchi–4th (1849–1910)
Chuo Club
May 3, 1892
August 31, 1893
Kusumoto Masataka Rep for Tokyo–4th (1850–1901)
Dōmei Club
November 26, 1893
December 15, 1893
Abei Iwane Rep for Fukushima–2nd (1832–1916)
Independent
December 18, 1893
December 30, 1893
Kenkichi Kataoka Rep for Kochi–2nd (1844–1903)
Rikken Jiyūtō
May 12, 1894
June 2, 1894
Saburō Shimada Rep for Kanagawa–1st (1852–1923)
Rikken Kaishintō
October 15, 1894
December 25, 1897
Hajime Motoda Rep for Oita–5th (until 1902) Rep for Oita (since 1902) (1858–1938)
Kokumin Kyōkai
May 18, 1898
June 10, 1898
November 9, 1898
December 7, 1902
Rikken Seiyūkai
December 7, 1902
December 28, 1902
Teiichi Sugita Rep for Fukui (1851–1929)
Rikken Seiyūkai
May 9, 1903
December 11, 1903
Minoura Katsundo Rep for Oita (1854–1929)
Kensei Hontō
March 18, 1904
December 23, 1908
Koizuka Ryū Rep for Hyogo (1848–1920)
Rikken Kokumintō
December 23, 1908
August 21, 1912
Naohiko Seki Rep for Tokyo City (1857–1934)
Rikken Kokumintō
August 21, 1912
December 25, 1914
Takuzō Hanai Rep for Hiroshima Prefecture (1868–1931)
Chūseikai
May 17, 1915
December 26, 1915
Hayami Seiji Rep for Hiroshima City (1868–1926)
Chūseikai
December 26, 1915
January 25, 1917
Kunimatsu Hamada Rep for Mie (1868–1939)
Rikken Kokumintō
June 21, 1917
February 26, 1920
Gizō Kasuya Rep for Saitama–2nd (1866–1930)
Rikken Seiyūkai
June 29, 1920
February 17, 1923
Genji Matsuda Rep for Oita–7th (1875–1936)
Rikken Seiyūkai
February 17, 1923
January 31, 1924
Koizumi Matajirō Rep for Kanagawa–2nd (1865–1951)
Kenseikai
June 26, 1924
March 25, 1927
Gohē Matsūra Rep for Shizuoka–7th (1870–1931)
Seiyūhontō
March 26, 1927
January 21, 1928
Ichirō Kiyose Rep for Hyogo–4th (1884–1967)
Kakushintō
April 20, 1928
January 21, 1930
Shōju Koyama Rep for Aichi–1st (1876–1959)
Rikken Minseitō
April 21, 1930
December 22, 1931
Giichi Masuda Rep for Niigata–4th (1869–1949)
Independent
December 23, 1931
January 21, 1932
Etsujirō Uehara Rep for Nagano–4th (1877–1962)
Rikken Seiyūkai
March 18, 1932
January 21, 1936
Tadahiko Okada Rep for Okayama–1st (1878–1958)
Rikken Seiyūkai
May 1, 1936
March 21, 1937
Tsuneo Kanemitsu Rep for Oita–1st (1877–1955)
Rikken Seiyūkai
July 23, 1937
August 31, 1939
Kazutami Tago Rep for Iwate–1st (1881–1963)
Rikken Seiyūkai
December 23, 1939
December 22, 1941
Sakusaburo Uchigasaki Rep for Miyagi–1st (1877–1947)
Taisei Yokusankai
December 24, 1941
June 7, 1945
Eikichi Katsuta Rep for Osaka–5th (1888–1946)
Taisei Yokusankai
June 8, 1945
December 18, 1945
Kozaemon Kimura Rep for Shimane (1888–1952)
Progressive
May 22, 1946
February 15, 1947
Tomoharu Inoue Rep for Kagoshima (1886–1962)
Progressive
February 21, 1947
March 31, 1947
National Diet1947–present
Man'itsu Tanaka Rep for Osaka–4th (1882–1963)
Democratic
May 21, 1947
December 23, 1948
Nobuyuki Iwamoto Rep for Kanagawa–3rd (1895–1963)
Democratic Liberal
February 11, 1949
August 28, 1952
October 24, 1952
March 14, 1953
Hyō Hara Rep for Tokyo–1st (1894–1975)
Left Socialist
May 18, 1953
December 15, 1954
Masamichi Takatsu Rep for Hiroshima–3rd (1893–1974)
Left Socialist
December 15, 1954
January 24, 1955
Motojirō Sugiyama Rep for Osaka–4th (1885–1964)
Right Socialist
March 18, 1955
April 25, 1958
Saburō Shīkuma Rep for Hokkaido–1st (1895–1965)
Liberal Democratic
June 11, 1958
December 13, 1958
Kiyoshi Masaki Rep for Hokkaido–1st (1900–1961)
Socialist
December 13, 1958
January 30, 1960
Takaichi Nakamura Rep for Tokyo–7th (1897–1981)
Socialist
January 30, 1960
October 24, 1960
Tsurumatsu Kubota Rep for Osaka–4th (1900–1984)
Socialist
December 7, 1960
June 8, 1961
Kenzaburō Hara Rep for Hyogo–2nd (1907–2004)
Liberal Democratic
June 8, 1961
October 23, 1963
Isaji Tanaka Rep for Kyoto–1st (1906–1987)
Liberal Democratic
December 7, 1963
December 20, 1965
Sunao Sonoda Rep for Kumamoto–2nd (1913–1984)
Liberal Democratic
December 20, 1965
December 27, 1966
February 15, 1967
November 25, 1967
Hisao Kodaira Rep for Tochigi–2nd (1910–1998)
Liberal Democratic
December 4, 1967
July 16, 1969
Sensuke Fujieda Rep for Gunma–1st (1907–1971)
Liberal Democratic
July 16, 1969
December 2, 1969
Seijuro Arafune Rep for Saitama–3rd (1907–1980)
Liberal Democratic
January 14, 1970
January 29, 1972
Shirō Hasegawa Rep for Gunma–2nd (1905–1986)
Liberal Democratic
January 29, 1972
November 13, 1972
Daisuke Akita Rep for Tokushima (1906–1988)
Liberal Democratic
December 22, 1972
December 9, 1976
Shōichi Miyake Rep for Niigata–3rd (1900–1982)
Socialist
December 24, 1976
September 7, 1979
Haruo Okada Rep for Hokkaido–4th (1914–1991)
Socialist
October 30, 1979
May 19, 1980
July 17, 1980
November 28, 1983
Seiichi Katsumata Rep for Shizuoka–2nd (1908–1989)
Socialist
December 26, 1983
June 2, 1986
Shinnen Tagaya Rep for Fukuoka–2nd (1920–1995)
Socialist
July 22, 1986
June 2, 1989
Yoshinori Yasui Rep for Hokkaido–2nd (1915–2012)
Socialist
June 2, 1989
January 24, 1990
Kiichi Murayama Rep for Kagoshima–2nd (1921–1996)
Socialist
February 27, 1990
June 18, 1993
Hyōsuke Kujiraoka Rep for Tokyo–10th (1915–2003)
Liberal Democratic
August 6, 1993
September 27, 1996
Kōzō Watanabe Rep for Fukushima–4th (1932–2020)
New Frontier
November 7, 1996
June 2, 2000
Assembly of Independents
July 4, 2000
October 10, 2003
Kansei Nakano Rep for Osaka–8th (born 1940)
Democratic
November 19, 2003
August 8, 2005
Takahiro Yokomichi Rep for Hokkaido–1st (1941–2023)
Democratic
September 21, 2005
July 21, 2009
Seishirō Etō Rep for Kyushu PR block (born 1941)
Liberal Democratic
September 16, 2009
November 16, 2012
Hirotaka Akamatsu Rep for Tōkai PR block (born 1948)
Democratic
December 26, 2012
November 21, 2014
Tatsuo Kawabata Rep for Kinki PR block (born 1945)
Democratic
December 24, 2014
September 28, 2017
Hirotaka Akamatsu Rep for Aichi–5th (born 1948)
Constitutional Democratic
November 1, 2017
October 14, 2021
Banri Kaieda Rep for Tokyo PR block (born 1949)
Constitutional Democratic
November 10, 2021
October 9, 2024
Kōichirō Genba Rep for Fukushima 2nd (born 1964)
Constitutional Democratic
November 11, 2024
Incumbent
References