The Diet

By the Constitution, the Diet is the most powerful of the three branches and consists of two houses, the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors. The Diet directs the Emperor in the appointment and removal of the chiefs of the executive and judicial branches.

At present, the following political parties are represented in the National Diet, along with Non-partisans.

• Liberal Democratic Party (LDP, conservative)
• Democratic Party (DPJ, liberal/social-democratic) the Independent's Club sits with the Democrat Party.
• New Clean Government Party (New Komeito, theocratic Buddhist/conservative)
• Japanese Communist Party (JCP, communist)
• Social Democrat Party (SDP, social-democratic)
• Liberal League (LL, conservative)

Note: The New Conservative Party (Hoshu Shinto) merged with the Liberal Democrat Party of Japan on November 10, 2003, after its failure to win more than 4 seats in the election that year.

The LDP has been the dominant party for most of the post-war period since 1955, and is composed of a several factions which are oriented along personalistic rather than ideological lines.