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.
| Speaker of the House of Representatives | |
|---|---|
| 衆議院議長 Shūgiin-gichō | |
| 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 |
| Deputy | Vice Speaker of the House of Representatives (衆議院副議長 Shūgiin-fukugichō) Banri Kaieda (since 10 November 2021) |
The current Speaker of the House of Representatives is Fukushiro Nukaga, who took office on 20 October 2023.
Selection
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
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 Diet 1890–1947 | |||||
 | 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 | |
.jpg) | 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 Diet 1947–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 | |
.JPG) | 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 | |
.jpg){kind=spacer} | 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 | 20 October 2023 | Incumbent | |
List of vice speakers
| Vice speaker | Political party | Term start | Term end | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Imperial Diet 1890–1947 | |||||
 | 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 Diet 1947–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 | ||
.jpg) | 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 | Incumbent | |