Jump to content

Cabinet of Japan

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Japanese Cabinet)
Cabinet of Japan
内閣
Naikaku

Naikaku Sōri Daijin Kantei
(Prime Minister's Office of Japan)
Agency overview
Formed22 December 1885; 138 years ago (1885-12-22)
Preceding agency
JurisdictionGovernment of Japan
HeadquartersChiyoda, Tokyo, Japan
Agency executive
Child agencies
Websitehttps://japan.kantei.go.jp/

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. The current cabinet is Second Ishiba Cabinet, which was formed on 11 November 2024, is led by the prime minister Shigeru Ishiba. The country has had a Liberal DemocraticKomeito coalition cabinet (minority government) since 2024.

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.

Powers exercised via the Emperor

[edit]

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]

The current cabinet, led by the newly appointed Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, and succeeded the First Ishiba Cabinet. Ishiba is currently in the process of forming his cabinet, following the 2024 General Election.

As of 11 November 2024, the makeup of the current Cabinet is as follows:[1]


103rd Cabinet of Japan
Second Ishiba Cabinet
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
Shigeru Ishiba
MR for Tottori 1st
Prime Minister Cabinet Office 1 October 2024
(2 months ago)
 (2024-10-01)
Seiichiro Murakami
MR for Ehime 2nd
Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications 1 October 2024
(2 months ago)
 (2024-10-01)
Keisuke Suzuki
MR for Southern Kanto PR block
Minister of Justice Ministry of Justice 11 November 2024
(24 days ago)
 (2024-11-11)
Takeshi Iwaya
MR for Ōita 3rd
Minister for Foreign Affairs Ministry of Foreign Affairs 1 October 2024
(2 months ago)
 (2024-10-01)
Katsunobu Katō
MR for Okayama 5th
Minister of Finance
Minister of State for Financial Services
Minister in charge of Overcoming Deflation
Ministry of Finance
Financial Services Agency
1 October 2024
(2 months ago)
 (2024-10-01)
Toshiko Abe
MR for Chūgoku PR block
Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
Minister in charge of Education Rebuilding
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology 1 October 2024
(2 months ago)
 (2024-10-01)
Takamaro Fukuoka
MC for Saga at-large
Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare 1 October 2024
(2 months ago)
 (2024-10-01)
Taku Etō
MR for Miyazaki 2nd
Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries 11 November 2024
(24 days ago)
 (2024-11-11)
Yoji Muto
MR for Gifu 3rd
Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry
Minister in charge of the Response to the Economic Impact Caused by the Nuclear Accident
Minister for Green Transformation
Minister in charge of Industrial Competitiveness
Minister of State for the Nuclear Damage Compensation and Decommissioning Facilitation Corporation
Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry 1 October 2024
(2 months ago)
 (2024-10-01)
Hiromasa Nakano
MR for Hyōgo 8th
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 11 November 2024
(24 days ago)
 (2024-11-11)
Keiichiro Asao
MC for Kanagawa at-large
Minister of the Environment
Minister of State for Nuclear Emergency Preparedness
Ministry of the Environment 1 October 2024
(2 months ago)
 (2024-10-01)
Gen Nakatani
MR for Kōchi 1st
Minister of Defense Ministry of Defense 1 October 2024
(2 months ago)
 (2024-10-01)
Yoshimasa Hayashi
MR for Yamaguchi 3rd
Chief Cabinet Secretary
Minister in charge of Mitigating the Impact of U.S. Forces in Okinawa
Minister in charge of the Abduction Issue
Cabinet Secretariat
Cabinet Office
14 December 2023
(11 months ago)
 (2023-12-14)
Masaaki Taira
MR for Tokyo 4th
Minister for Digital Transformation
Minister in charge of Administrative Reform
Minister in charge of Civil Service Reform
Minister in charge of Cybersecurity
Minister of State for Regulatory Reform
Digital Agency
Cabinet Office
1 October 2024
(2 months ago)
 (2024-10-01)
Tadahiko Ito
MR for Aichi 8th
Minister of Reconstruction
Minister in charge of Comprehensive Policy Coordination for Revival from the Nuclear Accident at Fukushima
Reconstruction Agency 1 October 2024
(2 months ago)
 (2024-10-01)
Manabu Sakai
MR for Kanagawa 5th
Chairman of the National Public Safety Commission
Minister in charge of Building National Resilience
Minister in charge of Territorial Issues
Minister of State for Disaster Management and Ocean Policy
National Public Safety Commission
Cabinet Office
1 October 2024
(2 months ago)
 (2024-10-01)
Junko Mihara
MC for Kanagawa at-large
Minister of State for Policies Related to Children
Minister of State for Measures for Declining Birthrate
Minister of State for Youth’s Empowerment
Minister of State for Gender Equality
Minister of State for Promoting Cohesive and Mutual Assistance Society
Minister in charge of Women's Empowerment
Minister in charge of Cohesive Society
Children and Families Agency
Cabinet Office
1 October 2024
(2 months ago)
 (2024-10-01)
Ryosei Akazawa
MR for Tottori 2nd
Minister in charge of Economic Revitalization
Minister in charge of New Capitalism
Minister in charge of Wage Increase
Minister in charge of Startups
Minister in charge of Social Security Reform
Minister in charge of Infectious Disease Crisis Management
Minister in charge of the Preparation of Establishing the Disaster Management Agency
Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy
Cabinet Office 1 October 2024
(2 months ago)
 (2024-10-01)
Minoru Kiuchi
MR for Shizuoka 7th
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 1 October 2024
(2 months ago)
 (2024-10-01)
Yoshitaka Itō
MR for Hokkaido 7th
Minister of State for Okinawa and Northern Territories Affairs
Minister for Consumer Affairs and Food Safety
Minister of State for Regional Revitalization
Minister of State for Ainu-Related Policies
Minister in charge of the Creation of New Regional Economies and Living Environments
Minister for the World Expo 2025
Cabinet Office 1 October 2024
(2 months ago)
 (2024-10-01)

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ "List of Ministers Inaugurated on November 11, 2024". Naikaku Sōri Daijin Kantei (Prime Minister's Office of Japan). Retrieved 12 November 2024.