House of Representatives (Japan)

The is the lower house of the National Diet of Japan. The Senate is the upper house. The composition of the House is established by and of the Constitution of Japan. The House of Representatives has 465 members, elected for a four-year term. Of these, 176 members are elected from 11 multi-member constituencies by a party-list system of proportional representation, and 289 are elected from single-member constituencies.

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 fully proportional, to the advantage of larger parties.

The House of Representatives is the more powerful of the two houses, able to override vetoes on bills imposed by the Senate with a two-thirds majority. In the case of treaties, the budget, and the selection of the prime minister, the Senate can only delay passage, but not block the legislation. The most recent election for the House of Representatives was held on February 8, 2026, in which the Liberal Democratic Party won a super-majority of seats, over 316; in the previous election, they had failed to reach a majority of 233 seats, instead winning 191.

Right to vote and candidature The composition of the House is established by and of the Constitution of Japan. Japanese nationals aged 18 years and older may vote (prior to 2016, the voting age was 20). Japanese nationals aged 25 years and older may run for office in the lower house.

Differences between the Upper and Lower Houses The House of Representatives is the more powerful of the two houses. The House of Representatives has several powers not given to the Senate. If a bill is passed by the lower house (the House of Representatives) but is voted down by the upper house (the Senate) the House of Representatives can override the decision of the Senate by a two-thirds vote in the affirmative. However, in the case of treaties, the budget, and the selection of the prime minister, the Senate can only delay passage, but not block the legislation. As a result, the House of Representatives is considered the more powerful house.

Members of the House of Representatives, who are elected to a maximum of four years, sit for a shorter term than senators, who are elected to full six-year terms. The lower house can also be dissolved by the Prime Minister or the passage of a nonconfidence motion, while the Senate cannot be dissolved. Thus the House of Representatives is considered to be more sensitive to public opinion, and is termed the "lower house". While the legislative term is nominally 4 years, early elections for the lower house are very common, and the median lifespan of postwar legislatures has in practice been around 3 years.

Current composition

Latest election result

Historical composition Before World War II (1890–1942) ElectionTotalseatsComposition 1st(1890)300130 5 45 79 41 2nd(1892) 94124 44 38 3rd(Mar.1894)120 51 34 60 35 4th(Sep.1894)107 48 64 49 32 5th(Mar.1898)105 26 37103 29 6th(Aug.1898) 9 26244 21 7th(1902)376 95 41 32 17191 8th(1903) 85 44 55 17175 9th(1904)379 90 82 55 19133 10th(1908) 70 58 64187 11th(1912)381 95 31 46209 12th(1915) 27153 45 48108 13th(1917) 35121 60165 14th(1920)464 29110 47278 15th(1924) 30151111 69103 16th(1928)466 7216 7 19217 17th(1930) 5273 9 5174 18th(1932) 5146 2 12301 19th(1936) 18205 34 20174 15 20th(1937) 37179 34 19175 11 11 21st(1942) 85381

After World War II (since 1946) ElectionTotalseatsComposition 22nd(1946)466 6 92 14 38 81 2 94141 23rd(1947) 4143 31 17 12 2 4124131 24th(1949) 35 48 7 14 17 12 69264 25th(1952) 54 57 4 7 19 85240 26th(1953) 1 72 66 5 1 11 76 35199 27th(1955) 467 2 89 67 4 2 5185112

ElectionTotalseatsComposition 28th(1958)467 1166 1 12287 29th(1960) 3145 17 1 5296 30th(1963) 5144 23 12283 31st(1967)486 5140 30 9 25277 32nd(1969) 14 90 31 16 47288 33rd(1972) 491 38118 19 2 14 29271 34th(1976)511 17123 29 21 55 17249 35th(1979) 39107 35 2 19 57 4248 36th(1980) 29107 32 3 11 33 12284 37th(1983) 26112 38 3 16 58 8250 38th(1986)512 26 85 26 4 9 56 6300 39th(1990) 16136 14 4 1 21 45275 40th(1993) 511 15 70 15 4 13 30 35 51 55223 41st(1996) 500 26 15 2156 52 1 9239 42nd(2000)480 20 19127 6 15 22 31 7233 43rd(2003) 9 6177 2 11 34 4237 44th(2005) 9 7113 2 18 31 4239 45th(2009) 9 7308 2 6 21 5 3119 46th(2012) 8 2 9 57 1 5 31 18 1 54294 47th(2014) 475 21 2 73 4 8 35 41291 48th(2017)465 12 2 55 22 29 11 50284 49th(2021) 10 3 1 96 10 11 32 41261 50th(2024) 8 9 1 148 12 28 24 38 3 3 191 51st(2026) 4 1 11 49 4 1 28 36 15 316

Election results for major parties since 1958 Shaded green: Ruling party/coalition before and after the lower house election red: Ruling party/coalition until the election = Change of government as a result of the lower house election blue: Ruling party/coalition after the election = Change of government as a result of the lower house election none: Opposition before and after the election Note that the composition of the ruling coalition may change between lower house elections, e.g. after upper house elections. Parties who vote with the government in the Diet, but are not part of the cabinet (e.g. SDP & NPH after the 1996 election) are not shaded.

Parallel electoral system (since 1996)

! style="background:#e9e9e9"| Parties ! style="background:#e9e9e9"| Segment ! 1996Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC/Sōmushō): 第41回衆議院議員総選挙結果 !! 2000MIC: 第42回衆議院議員総選挙結果 !! 2003MIC: 衆議院議員総選挙・最高裁判所裁判官国民審査結果調 !! 2005MIC: 平成17年9月11日執行 衆議院議員総選挙・最高裁判所裁判官国民審査結果調 !! 2009MIC: 平成21年8月30日執行 衆議院議員総選挙・最高裁判所裁判官国民審査結果調 !! 2012 !! 2014 !! 2017 |- ! colspan="2"| Total seats !! 500 !! 480 !! 480 !! 480 !! 480 !! 480 !! 475 !! 465 |- | style="text-align:left;" rowspan="5"| Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Jiyū Minshutō|| style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"| FPTP | 38.6%|| 41.0%|| 43.9%|| 47.8%|| 38.6%|| 43.0%|| 48.1%|| 48.21% |- | 169|| 177|| 168|| 219|| 64|| 237|| 223Includes Takahiro Inoue (independent, Fukuoka 1st district) who was retroactively nominated as LDP candidate; Reuters, December 14, 2014: 自民、井上氏を追加公認 || 226 |- | style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"| PR | 32.8%|| 28.3%|| 35.0%|| 38.1%|| 26.7%|| 27.6%|| 33.1%|| 33.28% |- | 70|| 56|| 69|| 77|| 55|| 57|| 68|| 66 |- | style="text-align:left;"| Total seats|| style="background:#E04050;"| 239|| style="background:#E04050;"| 233|| style="background:#E04050;"| 237|| style="background:#E04050;"| 296|| style="background:#fcc;"| 119|| style="background:#ccf;"| 294|| style="background:#E04050;"| 291|| style="background:#E04050;"| 284 |- | style="text-align:left;" rowspan="5"| Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP) Rikken Minshutō|| style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"| FPTP | colspan="7" rowspan="5"| –|| 8.75% |- | 18 |- | style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"| PR | 19.88% |- | 37 |- | style="text-align:left;"| Total seats|| 55 |- | style="text-align:left;" rowspan="5"| Party of Hope Kibō no Tō|| style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"| FPTP | colspan="7" rowspan="5"| –|| 20.64% |- | 18 |- | style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"| PR | 17.36% |- | 32 |- | style="text-align:left;"| Total seats|| 50 |- | style="text-align:left;" rowspan="5"| Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) Minshutō (1996–2014)Democratic Party (DP) Minshintō (2017)|| style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"| FPTP | 10.6%|| 27.6%|| 36.7%|| 36.4%|| 47.4%|| 22.8%|| 22.5%|| rowspan="5"| no partynominations,≈14 memberselected |- | 17|| 80|| 105|| 52|| 221|| 27|| 38 |- | style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"| PR | 16.1%|| 25.2%|| 37.4%|| 31.0%|| 42.4%|| 15.9%|| 18.3% |- | 35|| 47|| 72|| 61|| 87|| 30|| 35 |- | style="text-align:left;"| Total seats|| 52|| 127|| 177|| 113|| style="background:#ccf;"| 308|| style="background:#fcc;"| 57|| 73 |- | style="text-align:left;" rowspan="5"| Japan Restoration Party (JRP) Nippon Ishin no Kai (2012)Japan Innovation Party (JIP) Ishin no Tō (2014)|| style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"| FPTP | colspan="5" rowspan="5"| –|| 11.6%|| 8.2%|| 3.18% |- | 14|| 11|| 3 |- | style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"| PR | 20.3%|| 15.7%|| 6.07% |- | 40|| 30|| 8 |- | style="text-align:left;"| Total seats|| 54|| 41|| 11 |- | style="text-align:left;" rowspan="5"| (New) Komeito (K/NK/NKP/CGP/NCGP/etc.) Kōmeitō|| style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"| FPTP | rowspan="5"| –|| 2.0%|| 1.5%|| 1.4%|| 1.1%|| 1.4%|| 1.5%|| 1.5% |- | 7|| 9|| 8|| 0|| 9|| 9|| 8 |- | style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"| PR | 13.0%|| 14.8%|| 13.3%|| 11.4%|| 11.8%|| 13.7%|| 12.51% |- | 24|| 25|| 23|| 21|| 22|| 26|| 21 |- | style="text-align:left;"| Total seats | style="background:#E04050;"| 31|| style="background:#E04050;"| 34|| style="background:#E04050;"| 31|| style="background:#fcc;"| 21|| style="background:#ccf;"| 31|| style="background:#E04050;"| 35|| style="background:#E04050;"| 29 |- | style="text-align:left;" rowspan="5"| Japanese Communist Party (JCP) Nihon Kyōsantō|| style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"| FPTP | 12.6%|| 12.1%|| 8.1%|| 7.2%|| 4.2%|| 7.8%|| 13.3%|| 9.02% |- | 2|| 0|| 0|| 0|| 0|| 0|| 1|| 1 |- | style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"| PR | 13.1%|| 11.2%|| 7.8%|| 7.2%|| 7.0%|| 6.1%|| 11.4%|| 7.9% |- | 24|| 20|| 9|| 9|| 9|| 8|| 20|| 11 |- | style="text-align:left;"| Total seats|| 26|| 20|| 9|| 9|| 9|| 8|| 21|| 12 |- | style="text-align:left;" rowspan="5"| Social Democratic Party (SDP) Shakai Minshutō|| style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"| FPTP | 2.2%|| 3.8%|| 2.9%|| 1.5%|| 1.9%|| 0.7%|| 0.8%|| 1.15% |- | 4|| 4|| 1|| 1|| 3|| 1|| 1|| 1 |- | style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"| PR | 6.4%|| 9.4%|| 5.1%|| 5.5%|| 4.2%|| 2.3%|| 2.5%|| 1.69% |- | 11|| 15|| 5|| 6|| 4|| 1|| 1|| 1 |- | style="text-align:left;"| Total seats|| style="background:#fcc;"| 15|| 19|| 6|| 7|| style="background:#ccf;"| 7|| 2|| 2|| 2 |- | style="text-align:left;" rowspan="5"| New Frontier Party (NFP) Shinshintō (1996)Liberal Party Jiyūtō (2000)Tomorrow Party of Japan (TPJ) Nippon Mirai no Tō (2012)People's Life Party (PLP) Seikatsu no Tō (2014)Liberal Party (LP) Jiyūtō (2017)|| style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"| FPTP | 28.0%|| 3.4%|| colspan="3" rowspan="5"| –|| 5.0%|| 1.0%|| rowspan="5"| no partynominations,2 memberselected |- | 96|| 4|| 2|| 2 |- | style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"| PR | 28.0%|| 11.0%|| 5.7%|| 1.9% |- | 60|| 18|| 7|| 0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| Total seats|| 156|| 22|| 9|| 2 |- | style="text-align:left;" rowspan="5"| Your Party (YP) Minna no Tō|| style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"| FPTP | colspan="4" rowspan="5"| –|| 0.8%|| 4.7%|| colspan="2" rowspan="5"| – |- | 2|| 4 |- | style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"| PR | 4.2%|| 8.7% |- | 3|| 14 |- | style="text-align:left;"| Total seats|| 5|| 19 |- | style="text-align:left;" rowspan="5"| Conservative Party Hoshutō (2000)New Conservative Party Hoshu Shintō (2003)|| style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"| FPTP | rowspan="5"| –|| 2.0%|| 1.3%|| colspan="5" rowspan="5"| – |- | 7|| 4 |- | style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"| PR | 0.4%|| – |- | 0|| – |- | style="text-align:left;"| Total seats|| style="background:#E04050;"| 7|| style="background:#E04050;"| 4 |- | style="text-align:left;" rowspan="5"| New Party Harbinger (NPH) Shintō Sakigake|| style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"| FPTP | 1.3%|| colspan="7" rowspan="5"| – |- | 2 |- | style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"| PR | 1.0% |- | 0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| Total seats|| style="background:#fcc;"| 2

SNTV multi-member districts (1947–1993)

! style="background:#e9e9e9"| Parties ! 1958Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, statistics bureau: 衆議院議員総選挙の党派別当選者数及び得票数（昭和33年～平成5年） !! 1960 !! 1963 !! 1967 !! 1969 !! 1972 !! 1976 !! 1979 !! 1980 !! 1983 !! 1986 !! 1990 !! 1993 |- ! Total seats !! 467 !! 467 !! 467 !! 486 !! 486 !! 491 !! 511 !! 511 !! 511 !! 511 !! 512 !! 512 !! 511 |-