It also stipulates that the electoral law must not discriminate in terms of "race, creed, sex, social status, family origin, education, property or income".

For example, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) had controlled Japan for most of its post-war history, and it gained much of its support from rural areas.

[4] Among rural interests, Japanese rice farmers historically had particular influence in internal LDP politics and national policies on trade and agricultural subsidies.

This statement is in forceful contrast to the Meiji Constitution, which described the Emperor as the one who exercised legislative power with the consent of the Diet.

The Diet's responsibilities include not only the making of laws but also the approval of the annual national budget that the government submits and the ratification of treaties.

The Prime Minister must be designated by Diet resolution, establishing the principle of legislative supremacy over executive government agencies (Article 67).

Government officials, including the Prime Minister and Cabinet members, are required to appear before Diet investigative committees and answer inquiries.

[14] At the beginning of each parliamentary session, the Emperor reads a special speech from his throne in the chamber of the House of Councillors.

[15] The presence of one-third of the membership of either house constitutes a quorum[14] and deliberations are in public unless at least two-thirds of those present agree otherwise.

[19] Bills are usually drafted by the relevant ministry, sometimes with the advice of an external committee if the issue is sufficiently important or neutrality is necessary.

[19] Japan's first modern legislature was the Imperial Diet (帝国議会, Teikoku-gikai) established by the Meiji Constitution in force from 1889 to 1947.

The Meiji Constitution was adopted on February 11, 1889, and the Imperial Diet first met on November 29, 1890, when the document entered into force.

The Prime Minister of Japan at that time was General Count Yamagata Aritomo, who entered into a confrontation with the legislative body over military funding.

They advocated for infrastructure projects and lower taxes instead and felt their interests were not being served by high levels of military spending.

[25] The word diet derives from Latin and was a common name for an assembly in medieval European polities like the Holy Roman Empire.

The Meiji Constitution was largely based on the form of constitutional monarchy found in nineteenth century Prussia that placed the king not as a servant of the state but rather the sole holder of power and sovereignty over his kingdom, which the Japanese view of their emperor and his role at the time favoured.

[28] The proportional representation system for the House of Councillors, introduced in 1982, was the first major electoral reform under the post-war constitution.

Instead of choosing national constituency candidates as individuals, as had previously been the case, voters cast ballots for parties.