The of Japan is the executive branch of the government of Japan

Government of Japan

The government of Japan is a constitutional monarchy where the power of the Emperor is very limited. As a ceremonial figurehead, he is defined by the 1947 constitution as "the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people". Power is held chiefly by the Prime Minister of Japan and other elected...

. It consists of the Prime Minister

Prime Minister of Japan

The is the head of government of Japan. He is appointed by the Emperor of Japan after being designated by the Diet from among its members, and must enjoy the confidence of the House of Representatives to remain in office...

 and up to fourteen other members, called Ministers of State

Minister of State

Minister of State is a title borne by politicians or officials in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a "minister of state" is a junior minister, who is assigned to assist a specific cabinet minister...

. The Prime Minister is designated by the Diet

Diet of Japan

The is Japan's bicameral legislature. It is composed of a lower house, called the House of Representatives, and an upper house, called the House of Councillors. Both houses of the Diet are directly elected under a parallel voting system. In addition to passing laws, the Diet is formally...

, and the remaining ministers are appointed and dismissed by the Prime Minister. The Cabinet is collectively responsible to the Diet and must resign if a motion of no confidence is adopted by the House of Representatives

House of Representatives of Japan

The is the lower house of the Diet of Japan. The House of Councillors of Japan is the upper house.The House of Representatives has 480 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,...

.

The modern Japanese Cabinet was established by the Constitution of Japan

Constitution of Japan

The is the fundamental law of Japan. It was enacted on 3 May, 1947 as a new constitution for postwar Japan.-Outline:The constitution provides for a parliamentary system of government and guarantees certain fundamental rights...

 which came into effect in 1947. A cabinet also existed under the Meiji constitution of 1889-1946. This previous cabinet was subordinate to the Emperor

Emperor of Japan

The Emperor of Japan is, according to the 1947 Constitution of Japan, "the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people." He is a ceremonial figurehead under a form of constitutional monarchy and is head of the Japanese Imperial Family with functions as head of state. He is also the highest...

.

Appointment

Under the constitution, Ministers of State are appointed after the selection of the Prime Minister. A majority of the Cabinet, including the Prime Minister, must be members of the Diet (but may be members of either house), and all members must be civilians. Under the 2001 Cabinet Law, the number of Ministers of State (excluding the Prime Minister) must be fourteen or less, but this may be increased to seventeen if a special need arises. In the event that the Cabinet collectively resigns it continues to exercise its functions until the appointment of a new Prime Minister. While in office, legal action may not be taken against Ministers of State 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
  House of Representatives of Japan
  The is the lower house of the Diet of Japan. The House of Councillors of Japan is the upper house.The House of Representatives has 480 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,...
  
  , unless there is a dissolution of the house within ten days.
• Upon the first convocation of the Diet after a general election
  General election
  In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
  
   to the House of Representatives (even if every minister will then be reappointed).
• When the position Prime Minister becomes vacant, or the Prime Minister declares his intention to resign.

Powers

The Cabinet exercises two kinds of power. Some of its powers, while in practice exercised in accordance with the binding instructions of the Cabinet, are nominally exercised by the Emperor with the "advice and approval" of the Cabinet. Its other class of powers are exercised by the Cabinet explicitly. Contrary to the practice in many constitutional monarchies

Constitutional monarchy

Constitutional monarchy is a form of government in which a monarch acts as head of state within the parameters of a constitution, whether it be a written, uncodified or blended constitution...

, the Emperor of Japan is not even the nominal chief executive. Instead, the Constitution explicitly vests executive

Executive (government)

Executive branch of Government is the part of government that has sole authority and responsibility for the daily administration of the state bureaucracy. The division of power into separate branches of government is central to the idea of the separation of powers.In many countries, the term...

 authority in the Cabinet.

In practice, much of the Cabinet's authority is exercised by the Prime Minister. Under the Constitution, he exercises "control and supervision" over the executive branch, and no law or Cabinet order can take effect without his countersignature. While Cabinet ministers in most other parliamentary regimes theoretically have some freedom of action (within the limits of collective responsibility), the Japanese Cabinet is effectively an extension of the Prime Minister's authority.

Powers exercised via the Emperor

• Convocation of the Diet.
• Dissolution of the House of Representatives.
• Proclamation of general elections to the Diet
• Conferring of honours.

Explicit powers

• Execution of the law.
• Conduct of foreign affairs.
• Conclusion of treaties (with the consent of the Diet).
• Administration of the civil service.
• Drafting of the budget (which must be adopted by the Diet).
• Adoption of cabinet orders.
• Granting of general amnesty, special amnesty, commutation of punishment, reprieve, and restoration of rights.
• Every law or cabinet order is signed by the relevant Minister of State and countersigned by the Prime Minister.
• Appointment of the associate justices of the Supreme Court of Japan
  Supreme Court of Japan
  The Supreme Court of Japan , located in Chiyoda, Tokyo is the highest court in Japan. It has ultimate judicial authority to interpret the Japanese constitution and decide questions of national law...
  
   (except the Chief Justice, who is designated by the Prime Minister and formally appointed by the Emperor).
• Appointment of vice-ministers (who are nominated by the minister to whom they will report).

Current Cabinet of Japan

Office	Incumbent
Prime Minister Prime Minister of Japan The is the head of government of Japan. He is appointed by the Emperor of Japan after being designated by the Diet from among its members, and must enjoy the confidence of the House of Representatives to remain in office...	Yoshihiko Noda Yoshihiko Noda is the current Prime Minister of Japan, a member of the Democratic Party of Japan , and a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet...
Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications The ' or Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications is a cabinet-level ministry in the Government of Japan. The English name Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications was used prior to 2004... Minister of State for Okinawa and Northern Territories Affairs Minister of State for Promotion of Local Sovereignty Minister of State for Regional Revitalisation	Tatsuo Kawabata Tatsuo Kawabata is a Japanese politician of the Democratic Party of Japan, a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet . A native of Ōmihachiman, Shiga, he attended Kyoto University and received a master's degree from it. He was elected for the first time in 1986. His elder brother is former mayor of...
Minister of Justice Minister of Justice (Japan) The is the member of the Cabinet of Japan in charge of the Ministry of Justice. The post has been held by Hideo Hiraoka since 2 September 2011.- Ministers of Justice :...	Hideo Hiraoka Hideo Hiraoka is a Japanese politician of the Democratic Party of Japan, a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet . A native of Iwakuni, Yamaguchi, Hiraoka passed the bar exam and civil service exam prior to his graduation at the University of Tokyo...
Minister of Foreign Affairs Minister for Foreign Affairs (Japan) The of Japan is the Cabinet member responsible for Japanese foreign policy and the chief executive of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.Since the end of the American occupation of Japan, the position has been one of the most powerful in the Cabinet, as Japan's economic interests have long relied on...	Kōichirō Gemba
Minister of Finance Minister of Finance (Japan) The is the member of the Cabinet of Japan in charge of the Ministry of Finance. This position was formerly cited as being Japan's most powerful and one of the world's, because Japan had historically held the largest foreign exchange reserves...	Jun Azumi Jun Azumi is a Japanese politician of the Democratic Party of Japan , a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet . A native of Oshika District, Miyagi and graduate of Waseda University, he worked at the public broadcaster NHK from 1985 to 1993...
Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology	Masaharu Nakagawa Masaharu Nakagawa (House of Representatives) is a Japanese politician serving in the House of Representatives in the Diet as a member of the Democratic Party of Japan. A native of Matsusaka, Mie and...
Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare (Japan) The , or , is the Cabinet of Japan member in charge of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. As of 2 September 2011, the current minister is Yoko Komiyama.-References:...	Yoko Komiyama Yoko Komiyama is a Japanese politician of the Democratic Party of Japan, a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet . A native of Shibuya, Tokyo and graduate of Seijo University, she worked at the public broadcaster NHK from 1972 to 1998...
Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (Japan) The , or , is the Cabinet of Japan member in charge of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. The current minister is Michihiko Kano.-Role:...	Michihiko Kano
Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry (Japan) The is the Cabinet of Japan member in charge of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry . The current Minister is Banri Kaieda.-List of Ministers of Economy, Trade and Industry:... Minister of State for the Corporation in support of Compensation for Nuclear Damage Minister of State for Nuclear Incident Economic Countermeasures	Yukio Edano Yukio Edano is a Japanese politician of the Democratic Party of Japan and a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet. He was the Chief Cabinet Secretary in the Kan government. On September 12, 2011, he was named as Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry...
Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Minister of State for Ocean Policy	Takeshi Maeda Takeshi Maeda (politician) is a Japanese politician of the Democratic Party of Japan, a member of the House of Councillors in the Diet . A native of Yoshino District, Nara, he graduated from Kyoto University and received a master's degree from it. After serving in the House of Representatives for four terms, he was elected...
Minister of the Environment Minister of the Environment (Japan) The is the member of the Cabinet of Japan in charge of the Ministry of the Environment. The post has been held by Goshi Hosono since 2 September 2011.- Minister of the Environment :... Minister of State for the Restoration from and Prevention of Nuclear Accident Minister of State for the Nuclear Power Policy and Administration	Goshi Hosono Goshi Hosono is a Japanese politician of the Democratic Party of Japan, a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet . A native of Ōmihachiman, Shiga and graduate of Kyoto University, he was elected to the House of Representatives for the first time in 2000. He is the current Nuclear Disaster Minister...
Minister of Defence Minister of Defense (Japan) The , or , is the Cabinet of Japan member in charge of the Ministry of Defense, formerly known as the Defence Agency before 2007. The current Japanese Minister of Defense is Yasuo Ichikawa, a member of the DPJ. Yasuo Ichikawa has been the Minister of Defense since 2 September 2011...	Yasuo Ichikawa Yasuo Ichikawa is a Japanese politician of the Democratic Party of Japan, a member of the House of Councillors in the Diet . A native of Komatsu, Ishikawa and graduate of Mie University, he worked at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries from 1965 to 1990, and had served in the assembly of Ishikawa...
Chief Cabinet Secretary Chief Cabinet Secretary __notoc__The of Japan is a Minister of State who is responsible for directing the Cabinet Secretariat. The main function of Chief Cabinet Secretary is to coordinate the policies of ministries and agencies in the executive branch...	Osamu Fujimura Osamu Fujimura is a Japanese politician of the Democratic Party of Japan, a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet . A native of Osaka, Osaka and graduate of Hiroshima University, he was elected to the House of Representatives for the first time in 1993 as a member of the Japan New Party. He lost in...
Chairperson of the National Public Safety Commission National Public Safety Commission (Japan) The is a Japanese Cabinet Office commission. It is headquartered in the 2nd Building of the Central Common Government Office at 2-1-2 Kasumigasaeki in Chiyoda, Tokyo.... Minister of State for Consumer Affairs and Food Safety Minister of State for the Abduction Issue	Kenji Yamaoka Kenji Yamaoka is a Japanese politician of the Democratic Party of Japan , a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet . A native of Oyama, Tochigi and graduate of Keio University, he was elected to the first of two terms in the House of Councilors in 1983 and then to the House of Representatives for the...
Minister of State for Postal Reform Minister of State for Financial Services	Shozaburo Jimi Shozaburo Jimi is a Japanese politician of People's New Party, a member of the House of Councillors in the Diet . Jimi is a registered medical practitioner, and was a graduate of the department of medicine at Kyushu University in 1977...
Minister of State for National Policy Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy Minister of State for Science and Technology Policy Minister of State for Total Reform of Social Security and Tax Minister of State for Space Policy	Motohisa Furukawa Motohisa Furukawa is a Japanese politician of the Democratic Party of Japan , a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet . A native of Nagoya, Aichi and graduate of the University of Tokyo, he joined the Ministry of Finance in 1988, attending Columbia University in the United States as a ministry official...
Minister of State for Government Revitalisation Minister of State for the New Public Commons Minister of State for Measures for the Declining Birthrate and Gender Equality Minister of State for Civil Service Reform	Renhō Murata
Minister of State for Reconstruction in response to the Great East Japan Earthquake Minister of State for Disaster Management	Tatsuo Hirano Tatsuo Hirano is a Japanese politician of the Democratic Party of Japan, a member of the House of Councillors in the Diet . A native of Kitakami, Iwate and graduate of the University of Tokyo, he joined the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in 1977, attending the Iowa State University in the United...

External links

• Official Website of the Prime Minister of Japan and His Cabinets
• List of Japanese cabinets (in Japanese only)