The head of state and supreme commander of Japan is the Prime Minister. The National Diet, Japan’s bicameral legislature, nominates the Prime Minister, who is subsequently chosen by the Emperor of Japan.
The Prime Minister appoints a cabinet and presides over all cabinet sessions after being appointed. The majority party’s leader in the House of Representatives is often the nominee for prime minister.
According to Japanese law, a candidate must be a current member of the House of Representatives or House of Councillors, at least 25 years old, a Japanese national, and a civilian; however, former members of the military are eligible to run.
The roles, duties, authority, and restrictions placed on the Prime Minister are also outlined in the Japanese Constitution.
Table of Contents
The official residence of the Japanese Prime Minister
The Prime Minister’s Official Residence, also known as Sri Daijin Kantei, Shush Kantei, or Kantei, is where the Prime Minister of Japan resides and does the majority of his or her official business.
The house sits a few meters from the National Diet Building in Tokyo, the nation’s capital. It replaced the previous home, which was constructed in 1929, and was formally opened and inhabited in April 2002.
All cabinet meetings, foreign state visits, and the national crisis management center are held at the Prime Minister’s Official Residence, which also houses the offices of the Cabinet Secretary and Deputy Secretaries.
History
Japan created its national parliament and the role of the prime minister during the Meiji Restoration in 1868. As a result, the Prime Minister’s official house and office had to be constructed.
In 1929, the initial home was finished. A larger, more up-to-date home was first suggested to be erected in the early 1990s, and by 2002, a new, five-story office and home were constructed next to the old one.
The building has solar panels and a rainwater collection system as part of its effort to have as little of an environmental effect as possible.
Police launched an inquiry after a drone carrying radioactive material was found on the roof of the Prime Minister’s Official Residence in April 2015.
Later it was determined that Yasuo Yamamoto, an anti-nuclear protester, had flown the drone to the apartment carrying sand from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
Formerly a Government Building
The former official house of the Japanese Prime Minister was finished in 1929 and had expressionist and art deco design elements that were prominent throughout the Taisha era (1912–1926) and Shwa period (1926–1989) of the nation’s history.
The government refurbished the old home and turned it into the Prime Minister’s official Residential Quarters after constructing the contemporary structure.