Structure of the National Diet
The Diet consists of two Houses — the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors; each House is composed of elected Members, who represent all the people.
Each House has plenary sittings and committees. In addition, each House has a Commission on the Constitution, a Board of Oversight and Review of Specially Designated Secrets, and a Deliberative Council on Political Ethics.
The Diet as a whole also has the Judge Indictment Committee to institute removal proceedings against judges and the Judge Impeachment Court to try those judges.
| House of Representatives | House of Councillors | |
|---|---|---|
| 465 | Number of members | 248 |
|
4 years (Membership ends with the dissolution of the House) |
Term of office |
6 years (with half of the Members elected every third year) |
| Citizens 18 years of age or older | Right to vote | Citizens 18 years of age or older |
| Citizens 25 years of age or older | Right to stand for office | Citizens 30 years of age or older |
|
Single-seat constituency: 289 Proportional representation: 176 |
Constituency |
Plural-seat prefectural constituency: 148 Proportional representation: 100 |
| Possible | Dissolution | Not possible |