Japan's parliamentary vote to select new prime minister explained

TOKYO (Kyodo) — The following is an explanation of how a new Japanese prime minister is selected in a special parliamentary session.

Lawmakers in both houses of Japan’s parliament nominate candidates for prime minister in a special session that must be convened within 30 days of a general election.

The vote comes on the heels of a House of Representatives election or the resignation en masse of the Cabinet. To win, a party leader must be nominated by a majority of lawmakers in the lower house and the House of Councillors.

In the event that different party leaders emerge victorious in either house, and agreement cannot be reached between both houses, the Constitution of Japan stipulates that the lower house’s decision takes precedence.

Should no lawmaker secure a majority, the vote goes to a runoff between the top two candidates. The lawmaker that gains the most votes is declared the winner.

The last time a second-round vote was needed was 30 years ago when the leader of the Social Democratic Party Tomiichi Murayama was elected Japan’s new prime minister, defeating reformist former Prime Minister Toshiki Kaifu, supported by the Japan Renewal Party and others.