President of the House of Councillors

The official residence of the President of the House of Councillors

The election of the President takes place on the day of the new session, under the moderation of the Secretary-General of the House.[1] The President 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 President is elected by a lottery. The Vice President is elected separately, in the same way.[1]

Usually, the President is a senior member of the ruling party, and the Vice President is a senior member of the opposition party. The current President, Akiko Santō, is a member of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, while the Vice President, Toshio Ogawa, is a member of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan.

According to Chapter III Article 19 of the Diet Law, the President "shall maintain order in the House, arrange its business, supervise its administration, and represent the House".[1] The President is also authorized to maintain order in the House chambers by exercising police power. Upon the President's request, police personnel are sent by the National Police Agency, and are placed under the President's direction.[1] The President 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 Councillors acts in a disorderly manner, the President can warn them or make them withdraw their statement. If the member does not obey these orders, the President 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 President may also temporarily suspend or adjourn the sitting for the day.[1]