Speaker of the House of Representatives (Japan)

The is the presiding officer of the House of Representatives of Japan, and together with the President of the House of Councillors, the Speaker is also the head of the legislative branch of Japan. The Speaker is elected by members of the House at the start of each session.

The current Speaker of the House of Representatives is Eisuke Mori, who took office on 18 February 2026.

Selection

The election of the Speaker takes place on the day of the new session, under the moderation of the Secretary-General of the House. The Speaker is elected by an anonymous vote, and must have at least half of the votes in order to take office. If no one gets over half of the votes, the top two candidates will be voted again, and if they get the same number of votes, the Speaker is elected by a lottery. The Vice Speaker is elected separately, in the same way.

Usually, the Speaker is a senior member of the ruling party, and the Vice Speaker is a senior member of the opposition party. The current Speaker, Eisuke Mori, is a member of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, while the Vice Speaker, Keiichi Ishii, is a member of the Centrist Reform Alliance.

Powers and Duties

According to Chapter III Article 19 of the Diet Law, the Speaker "shall maintain order in the House, arrange its business, supervise its administration, and represent the House".

The Speaker is also authorized to maintain order in the House chambers by exercising police power. Upon the Speaker's request, police personnel are sent by the National Police Agency, and are placed under the Speaker's direction. The Speaker may then order arrest or removal of a member of the House or a visitor.

According to Chapter XIV Chapter 116 of the Diet law, when a member of the House of Representatives acts in a disorderly manner, the Speaker can warn them or make them withdraw their statements. If the member does not obey these orders, the Speaker can forbid the member to speak or make the member leave the chamber until the end of the proceedings. If the chamber goes out of control and becomes over chaotic, the Speaker may also temporarily suspend or adjourn the sitting for the day.

List of speakers Imperial Diet (1890–1947) Portrait Name Term of office Party Took office Left office DurationNakajima NobuyukiRep for Kanagawa 5th(1846–1899)26 November189025 December1891Rikken JiyūtōHoshi TōruRep for Tochigi 1st(1850–1901)3 May189213 December1893LiberalKusumoto MasatakaRep for Tokyo 4th(1838–1902)15 December18938 June1896Dōmei ClubRikken KakushintōKazuo HatoyamaRep for Tokyo 9th(1856–1911)22 December189625 December1897ShimpotōKenkichi KataokaRep for Kochi 2nd(1844–1903)15 May189831 October1903Rikken SeiyūkaiKōno HironakaRep for Fukushima Districts(1849–1923)5 December190311 December1903KenseitōMasahisa MatsudaRep for Saga Districts(1845–1914)18 March190419 January1906Rikken SeiyūkaiTeiichi SugitaRep for Fukui Districts(1851–1929)23 January190623 December1908Rikken SeiyūkaiSumitaka HasebaRep for Kagoshima Districts(1854–1914)23 December19086 September1911Rikken SeiyūkaiIkuzō ŌokaRep for Yamaguchi Districts(1856–1928)24 December19116 March1914Rikken SeiyūkaiSumitaka HasebaRep for Kagoshima Districts(1854–1914)7 March191415 March1914Rikken SeiyūkaiShigesaburō OkuRep for Kyoto Districts(1861–1924)17 March191425 December1914Rikken SeiyūkaiSaburō ShimadaRep for Yokohama(1852–1923)17 May191525 January1917Rikken DōshikaiIkuzō ŌokaRep for Yamaguchi Districts(1856–1928)21 June191726 February1920Rikken SeiyūkaiShigesaburō OkuRep for Kyoto Districts(1861–1924)26 June192016 February1923Rikken SeiyūkaiGizō KasuyaRep for Saitama 2nd(1866–1930)17 February192325 March1927Rikken SeiyūkaiIndependentShigeru MoritaRep for Kyoto 1st(1872–1932)26 March192721 January1928KenseikaiMotoda HajimeRep for Oita 2nd(1858–1938)20 April192814 March1929Rikken SeiyūkaiMosuke KawaharaRep for Saga 2nd(1859–1929)15 March192919 May1929Rikken SeiyūkaiZenbē HorikiriRep for Fukushima 1st(1882–1946)26 December192921 January1930Rikken SeiyūkaiFujisawa IkunosukeRep for Miyagi 1st(1859–1940)23 April193013 April1931Rikken MinseitōKejirō NakamuraRep for Wakayama 1st(1867–1937)26 December193121 January1932Rikken MinseitōKiyoshi AkitaRep for Tokushima 2nd(1881–1944)18 March193213 December1932Rikken SeiyūkaiKunimatsu HamadaRep for Mie 2nd(1868–1939)24 December193221 January1936Rikken SeiyūkaiKōjirō TomitaRep for Kochi 1st(1872–1938)1 May193631 March1937Rikken MinseitōShōju KoyamaRep for Aichi 1st(1876–1959)23 July193722 December1941Rikken MinseitōTaisei YokusankaiIchimin TagoRep for Iwate 1st(1881–1963)24 December194125 May1942Taisei YokusankaiTadahiko OkadaRep for Okayama 1st(1878–1958)25 May19429 April1945Taisei YokusankaiDainihon SeijikaiToshio ShimadaRep for Shimane 2nd(1877–1947)8 June194518 December1945Dainihon SeijikaiJapan ProgressiveSenzō HigaiRep for Yamanashi at-large(1890–1953)22 May194623 August1946LiberalTakeshi YamazakiRep for Ibaraki at-large(1886–1957)23 August194631 March1947LiberalIndependent

National Diet (from 1947) Portrait Name Term of office Party Took office Left office DurationKomakichi MatsuokaRep for Tokyo 2nd(1888–1958)21 May194723 December1948SocialistKijūrō ShideharaRep for Osaka 3rd(1872–1951)11 February194910 March1951Democratic LiberalLiberalJōji HayashiRep for Kochi at-large(1889–1960)13 March19511 August1952LiberalBanboku ŌnoRep for Gifu 1st(1890–1964)26 August195214 March1953LiberalYasujirō TsutsumiRep for Shiga at-large(1889–1964)18 May195310 December1954KaishintōTō MatsunagaRep for Saitama 1st(1887–1968)11 December195424 January1955Japan DemocraticShūji MasutaniRep for Ishikawa 2nd(1888–1973)18 March195525 April1958Liberal DemocraticNirō HoshijimaRep for Okayama 2nd(1887–1980)11 June195813 December1958Liberal DemocraticRyōgorō KatōRep for Aichi 1st(1883–1970)13 December19581 February1960Liberal DemocraticIchirō KiyoseRep for Hyōgo 4th(1884–1967)1 February196023 October1963Liberal DemocraticNaka FunadaRep for Tochigi 1st(1895–1979)7 December196320 December1965Liberal DemocraticKikuichirō YamaguchiRep for Wakayama 1st(1897–1981)20 December19653 December1966Liberal DemocraticKentarō AyabeRep for Oita 2nd(1890–1972)3 December196627 December1966Liberal DemocraticMitsujirō IshiiRep for Fukuoka 3rd(1889–1981)15 February196716 July1969Liberal DemocraticTakechiyo MatsudaRep for Osaka 5th(1888–1980)3 December196927 December1969Liberal DemocraticNaka FunadaRep for Tochigi 1st(1895–1979)14 January197013 November1972Liberal DemocraticUmekichi NakamuraRep for Tokyo 5th(1901–1984)22 December197229 May1973Liberal DemocraticShigesaburō MaeoRep for Kyoto 2nd(1905–1981)29 May19739 December1976Liberal DemocraticShigeru HoriRep for Saga at-large(1901–1979)24 December19761 February1979Liberal DemocraticHirokichi NadaoRep for Hiroshima 1st(1899–1994)1 February197919 May1980Liberal DemocraticHajime FukudaRep for Fukui at-large(1902–1997)17 July198028 November1983Liberal DemocraticKenji FukunagaRep for Saitama 5th(1910–1988)26 December198324 January1985Liberal DemocraticMichita SakataRep for Kumamoto 2nd(1916–2004)24 January19852 June1986Liberal DemocraticKenzaburo HaraRep for Hyōgo 2nd(1907–2004)22 July19862 June1989Liberal DemocraticHajime TamuraRep for Mie 2nd(1924–2014)2 June198924 January1990Liberal DemocraticYoshio SakurauchiRep for Shimane at-large(1912–2003)27 February199018 June1993Liberal DemocraticTakako DoiRep for Hyōgo 2nd(1928–2014)6 August199327 September1996SocialistSoichiro ItoRep for Miyagi 4th(1924–2001)7 November19962 June2000Liberal DemocraticTamisuke WatanukiRep for Toyama 3rd(1927–2026)4 July200010 October2003Liberal DemocraticYōhei KōnoRep for Kanagawa 17th(1937–2026)19 November200321 July2009Liberal DemocraticTakahiro YokomichiRep for Hokkaido 1st(1941–2023)16 September200916 November2012DemocraticBunmei IbukiRep for Kyoto 1st(born 1938)26 December201221 November2014Liberal DemocraticNobutaka MachimuraRep for Hokkaido 5th(1944–2015)24 December201421 April2015Liberal DemocraticTadamori ŌshimaRep for Aomori 3rd(born 1946)21 April201514 October2021Liberal DemocraticHiroyuki HosodaRep for Shimane 1st(1944–2023)10 November202120 October2023Liberal DemocraticFukushiro NukagaRep for Ibaraki 2nd(born 1944)20 October202323 January2026Liberal DemocraticEisuke MoriRep for Chiba 11th(born 1948)18 February2026IncumbentLiberal Democratic

List of vice speakers Imperial Diet (1890–1947) Portrait Name Term of office Party Took office Left office DurationTsuda MamichiRep for Tokyo 8th(1829–1903)26 November189025 December1891TaiseikaiSone ArasukeRep for Yamaguchi 4th(1849–1910)3 May189231 August1893Chuo ClubKusumoto MasatakaRep for Tokyo 4th(1838–1902)26 November189315 December1893Dōmei ClubAbei IwaneRep for Fukushima 2nd(1832–1916)18 December189330 December1893IndependentKenkichi KataokaRep for Kochi 2nd(1844–1903)12 May18942 June1894LiberalSaburō ShimadaRep for Kanagawa 1st(1852–1923)15 October189425 December1897Rikken KaishintōMotoda HajimeRep for Oita 5th (until 1902) and Oita at-large (from 1902)(1858–1938)18 May189828 December1902Kokumin KyōkaiRikken SeiyūkaiTeiichi SugitaRep for Fukui Districts(1851–1929)9 May190311 December1903Rikken SeiyūkaiMinoura KatsundoRep for Oita at-large(1854–1929)18 March190423 December1908Kensei HontōKoizuka RyūRep for Hyōgo Districts(1848–1920)23 December190821 August1912Rikken KokumintōNaohiko SekiRep for Tokyo(1857–1934)21 August191225 December1914Rikken KokumintōTakuzō HanaiRep for Hiroshima Districts(1868–1931)17 May191526 December1915ChūseikaiHayami SeijiRep for Hiroshima(1868–1926)26 December191525 January1917ChūseikaiKenseikaiKunimatsu HamadaRep for Mie Districts(1868–1939)21 June191726 February1920Rikken KokumintōGizō KasuyaRep for Saitama 2nd(1866–1930)29 June192017 February1923Rikken SeiyūkaiGenji MatsudaRep for Oita 7th(1876–1936)17 February192331 January1924Rikken SeiyūkaiKoizumi MatajirōRep for Kanagawa 2nd(1865–1951)26 June192425 March1927KenseikaiIndependentGohē MatsūraRep for Shizuoka 7th(1870–1931)26 March192721 January1928SeiyūhontōIchirō KiyoseRep for Hyōgo 4th(1884–1967)20 April192821 January1930KakushintōShōju KoyamaRep for Aichi 1st(1876–1959)21 April193022 December1931Rikken MinseitōGiichi MasudaRep for Niigata 4th(1869–1949)23 December193121 January1932IndependentEtsujirō UeharaRep for Nagano 4th(1877–1962)18 March193221 January1936Rikken SeiyūkaiTadahiko OkadaRep for Okayama 1st(1878–1958)1 May193621 March1937Rikken SeiyūkaiTsuneo KanemitsuRep for Oita 1st(1877–1955)23 July193731 August1939Rikken SeiyūkaiIchimin TagoRep for Iwate 1st(1881–1963)23 December193922 December19412 yearsRikken SeiyūkaiTaisei YokusankaiSakusaburo UchigasakiRep for Miyagi 1st(1877–1947)24 December19417 June1945Taisei YokusankaiEikichi KatsutaRep for Osaka 5th(1888–1946)8 June194518 December1945Dainihon SeijikaiJapan ProgressiveKozaemon KimuraRep for Shimane at-large(1888–1952)22 May194615 February1947Japan ProgressiveIndependentTomoharu InoueRep for Kagoshima at-large(1886–1962)21 February194731 March1947Japan Progressive National Diet (from 1947)