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House of Representatives (Japan)

House of Representatives
衆議院
Shūgiin
The 47th House of Representatives
Coat of arms or logo
Type
Type
Leadership
Tadamori Oshima, Independent (party: LDP)
Since April 21, 2015
Tatsuo Kawabata, Independent (party: DP)
Since December 24, 2014
Prime Minister
Shinzō Abe, LDP
Since December 26, 2012
Structure
Seats 475
House of Representatives(Japan) 2016.svg
Political groups

(by caucus as of Apr. 2016)

Government Coalition (326):
  LDP (291)
  Kōmeitō (35)

Opposition (149):
  DP (96)
  JCP (21)
  Initiatives (14)
  SDP (2)
  LP (2)
  Independents (14)
Elections
Parallel voting:
First past the post (295 seats)
Party-list proportional representation (180 seats)
Last election
December 14, 2014
Next election
on or before December 13, 2018
Meeting place
Chamber of the House of Representatives of Japan.jpg
The House of Representatives Chamber
Website
www.shugiin.go.jp

Coordinates: 35°40′30.6″N 139°44′41.8″E / 35.675167°N 139.744944°E / 35.675167; 139.744944

(by caucus as of Apr. 2016)

The House of Representatives (衆議院 Shūgiin?) is the lower house of the National Diet of Japan. The House of Councillors is the upper house.

The House of Representatives has 475 members, elected for a four-year term. Of these, 180 members are elected from 11 multi-member constituencies by a party-list system of proportional representation, and 295 are elected from single-member constituencies. 238 seats are required for a majority.

The overall voting system used to elect the House of Representatives is a parallel system, a form of semi-proportional representation. Under a parallel system the allocation of list seats does not take into account the outcome in the single seat constituencies. Therefore, the overall allocation of seats in the House of Representatives is not proportional, to the advantage of larger parties. In contrast, in bodies such as the German Bundestag the election of single-seat members and party list members is linked, so that the overall result respects proportional representation.


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Wikipedia

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