Legislative Council of Japan (Cherry, Plum, and Chrysanthemum)

The Legislative Council of Japan (立法院 Rippō-in) is the unicameral legislature of Japan. The Council created by the adoption of the 1931 Constitution. It exercises daily legislative function of the nation and some of National Congress functions and powers when the Congress is in recess. The Legislative Council members elected from among the Congress members itself every one years.

The Legislative Council is held a regular meeting at least once a month in the left wing of National Congress Building, Minkyo, the national capital of Japan. The Legislative Council meeting site in National Congress Building is referred as “The Legislative Council of the Republic of Japan Meeting Hall”.

Elections
The election for the Legislative Council held every two years by the National Congress of Japan based on democratic centralism principles. Every political group in Congress must elect their representatives to the Council following the proportional representation system. The political groups that gained more than three seats in the Congress can send at least 40% of the number of their seats to the Legislative Council.

According to the political convention in Japan, the election held by every political groups separately. Usually, the Nationalist Party uses two memberships system as the Party always has largest number of seats in the Congress. First, the “standing members”, are the Nationalist Congressmen who nominated directly by the Party and guaranteed to held the Legislative membership for whole four years. Second, the “rotating members”, are the non-“standing members” who rotating every one term of membership and determined by the random ballot held by the Party.

Usually, another political groups usually use the random ballot system to rotating the Legislative membership among themselves. The Congressional leader of each political groups usually held the “standing membership” for their respective group. Every rotating members of Legislative Council not allowed to be re-elected again.

Functions and powers
According to 1931 Constitution, the functions of the Legislative Council are to formulate and to issue the state legislations, to convene sessions of the Congress, to formulate and to submit the bill of national budget to Congress, and to receive the report from the Council of the Ministers.

The Council has the right to appoint the members of National Court of Japan before being confirmed by Congress, to question the President of the Republic and other government officials, and to monitor the duties of the Council of the Ministers/the Cabinet. If the Legislative Council fell the Cabinet does not carry out its duties properly, the Legislative Council can submitting the proposal of motion of no confidence to the National Congress.