The Cabinet of Japan (Japanese: 内閣, Hepburn: Naikaku) is the chief executive body of the government of Japan. It consists of the prime minister, who is appointed by the emperor after being nominated by the National Diet, in addition to up to nineteen other members, called ministers of state.
| 内閣 Naikaku | |
 | |
 Prime Minister's Official Residence | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 22 December 1885 |
| Preceding agency | |
| Jurisdiction | Government of Japan |
| Headquarters | Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan |
| Agency executive | |
| Child agencies | |
| Website | https://www.kantei.go.jp/ |
The prime minister is nominated by the National Diet, while the remaining ministers are appointed and dismissed by the prime minister. The Cabinet is collectively responsible to the National Diet and must resign if a motion of no confidence is adopted by the National Diet.
Appointment edit
Under the Constitution of Japan, Cabinet ministers are appointed after the selection of the prime minister. A majority of the Cabinet, including the prime minister, must be members of the National Diet, and all members must be civilians. Under the Cabinet Law, the number of Cabinet ministers (excluding the prime minister) must be fourteen or less, but this may be increased to nineteen if a special need arises. If the Cabinet collectively resigns, it continues to exercise its functions until the appointment of a new prime minister. While they are in office, legal action may not be taken against Cabinet ministers without the consent of the prime minister. The Cabinet must resign en masse in the following circumstances:
- When a motion of no confidence is adopted, or a vote of confidence defeated, by the House of Representatives, unless there is a dissolution of the house within ten days.
- Upon the first convocation of the National Diet after a general election to the House of Representatives (even if the same prime minister is to be re-elected and appointed, and every other minister is to be reappointed).
- When the position of prime minister becomes vacant, or the prime minister declares his intention to resign.
Powers edit
The Cabinet exercises two kinds of power. Some of its powers are nominally exercised by the Emperor with the binding "advice and approval" of the Cabinet. Other powers are explicitly vested in the Cabinet. Contrary to the practice in many constitutional monarchies, the Emperor is not even the nominal chief executive. Instead, the Constitution explicitly vests executive authority in the Cabinet. Hence, nearly all of the day-to-day work of governing is done by the Cabinet.
In practice, much of the Cabinet's authority is exercised by the prime minister. Under the Constitution, the prime minister exercises "control and supervision" over the executive branch, and no law or Cabinet order can take effect without the prime minister's countersignature (and the emperor's promulgation). While Cabinet Ministers in most other parliamentary democracies theoretically have some freedom of action (within the limits of cabinet collective responsibility), the Japanese Cabinet is effectively an extension of the prime minister's authority.
According to Article 75 of the Constitution, Ministers of State are not subject to legal action without the consent of the prime minister during their tenure of office.
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The Prime Minister's Official Residence is where the Cabinet is located.
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The Paulownia Seal is routinely considered to be the symbol of the Japanese prime minister, cabinet, as well as the government at large.
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The official seal of the Japanese Cabinet
Powers exercised via the Emperor edit
- Promulgation of amendment of the constitution, laws, cabinet orders, and treaties
- Convocation of the National Diet
- Dissolution of the House of Representatives
- Proclamation of general elections to the National Diet
- Receiving of foreign ambassadors and ministers
- Conferring of honours
Explicit powers edit
- Execution of the law
- Conduct of foreign affairs
- Conclusion of treaties (with the consent of the National Diet).
- Administration of the civil service
- Drafting of the budget (which must be adopted by the National Diet)
- Adoption of cabinet orders
- Granting of general amnesty, special amnesty, commutation of punishment, reprieve, and restoration of rights
- Signing of laws or cabinet orders by the relevant Minister of State and countersigned by the Prime Minister
- Appointment of the associate justices of the Supreme Court of Japan (except for the Chief Justice, who is nominated by the Prime Minister and formally appointed by the Emperor)
- Appointment of vice-ministers (who are nominated by their respective minister to whom they will report)
List of cabinets of Japan edit
Current Cabinet edit
As of 13 September 2023,[update] the makeup of the Cabinet:[1]
| 101st Cabinet of Japan Second Kishida Cabinet (Second Reshuffle) | |||||
| Color key: Liberal Democratic Komeito MR: member of the House of Representatives, MC: member of the House of Councillors, B: bureaucrat | |||||
| Minister Constituency |
Office(s) | Department | Took Office | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabinet ministers | |||||
|
Fumio Kishida MR for Hiroshima 1st |
Prime Minister | Cabinet Office | 4 October 2021 | |
|
Junji Suzuki MR for Aichi 7th |
Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications | Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications | 13 September 2023 | |
|
Ryuji Koizumi MR for Saitama 11th |
Minister of Justice | Ministry of Justice | 13 September 2023 | |
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|
Yōko Kamikawa MR for Shizuoka 1st |
Minister for Foreign Affairs | Ministry of Foreign Affairs | 13 September 2023 | |
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|
Shun'ichi Suzuki MR for Iwate 2nd |
Minister of Finance Minister of State for Financial Services Minister in charge of Overcoming Deflation |
Ministry of Finance Financial Services Agency |
4 October 2021 | |
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|
Masahito Moriyama MR for Kinki PR block |
Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Minister in charge of Education Rebuilding |
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology | 13 September 2023 | |
|
Keizō Takemi MC for Tokyo at-large |
Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare | Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare | 13 September 2023 | |
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|
Ichiro Miyashita MR for Nagano 5th |
Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries | Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries | 13 September 2023 | |
|
Yasutoshi Nishimura MR for Hyōgo 9th |
Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Minister in charge of Industrial Competitiveness Minister for Economic Cooperation with Russia Minister in charge of the Response to the Economic Impact caused by the Nuclear Accident Minister of State for the Nuclear Damage Compensation and Decommissioning Facilitation Corporation |
Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry | 10 August 2022 | |
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|
Tetsuo Saito MR for Hiroshima 3rd |
Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Minister in charge of Water Cycle Policy Minister for the World Horticultural Exhibition Yokohama 2027 |
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism | 4 October 2021 | |
|
Shintaro Ito MR for Miyagi 4th |
Minister of the Environment Minister of State for Nuclear Emergency Preparedness |
Ministry of the Environment | 13 September 2023 | |
|
Minoru Kihara MR for Kumamoto 1st |
Minister of Defense | Ministry of Defense | 13 September 2023 | |
|
Hirokazu Matsuno MR for Chiba 3rd |
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minister in charge of Mitigating the Impact of U.S. Forces in Okinawa Minister in charge of the Abductions Issue Minister in Charge of Promoting Vaccinations |
Cabinet Secretariat | 4 October 2021 | |
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|
Taro Kono MR for Kanagawa 15th |
Minister for Digital Transformation Minister of State for Digital Reform Minister in charge of Administrative Reform Minister of State for Consumer Affairs and Food Safety Minister in charge of Civil Service Reform |
Digital Agency Cabinet Office |
10 August 2022 | |
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|
Shinako Tsuchiya MR for Saitama 13th |
Minister of Reconstruction Minister in charge of Comprehensive Policy Coordination for Revival from the Nuclear Accident at Fukushima |
Reconstruction Agency | 13 September 2023 | |
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|
Yoshifumi Matsumura MC for Kumamoto at-large |
Chairperson of the National Public Safety Commission Minister in charge of Building National Resilience Minister in charge of Territorial Issues Minister in charge of Civil Service Reform Minister of State for Disaster Management and Ocean Policy |
National Public Safety Commission Cabinet Office |
13 September 2023 | |
|
Ayuko Kato MR for Yamagata 3rd |
Minister in charge of Policies Related to Children Minister in charge of Cohesive Society Minister in charge of Women's Empowerment Minister in charge of Measures for Loneliness and Isolation Minister of State for Measures for Declining Birthrate Minister of State for Gender Equality |
Children and Families Agency Cabinet Office |
13 September 2023 | |
|
Yoshitaka Shindō MR for Saitama 2nd |
Minister in charge of Economic Revitalization Minister in charge of New Capitalism Minister in charge of Startups Minister in charge of Measures for Novel Coronavirus Disease and Health Crisis Management Minister in charge of Social Security Reform Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy |
Cabinet Office | 13 September 2023 | |
|
Sanae Takaichi MR for Nara 2nd |
Minister in charge of Economic Security Minister of State for "Cool Japan" Strategy Minister of State for Intellectual Property Strategy Minister of State for Science and Technology Policy Minister of State for Space Policy Minister of State for Economic Security |
Cabinet Office | 10 August 2022 | |
|
Hanako Jimi MC for National PR block |
Minister of State for Okinawa and Northern Territories Affairs Minister of State for Regional Revitalization Minister of State for Regulatory Reform Minister of State for Ainu-Related Policies Minister in charge of Digital Garden City Nation Vision Minister for the World Expo 2025 |
Cabinet Office | 13 September 2023 | |
See also edit
References edit
- The Japan Times. "Cabinet Profiles" [since 2008]. The Japan Times Online. Accessed 13 October 2012 from: https://web.archive.org/web/20040623111921/http://www.japantimes.com/cabinets.htm
- Cabinet Secretariat, Office of Cabinet Public Relations, Japan (2003) prime minister of Japan and His Cabinet. Retrieved 28 Oct. 2003
- Hunter, Janet (1984). Concise Dictionary of Modern Japanese History. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, pp. 266–324, Appendix 5: Japanese Cabinets Since the Introduction of the Cabinet System in 1885 [to 1980].
External links edit
Notes edit
- ^ "List of Ministers". Prime Minister's Office of Japan. 13 September 2023. Retrieved 15 September 2023.