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The Imperial Diet
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The offices of president and vice-president of the House of Peers have been held by the following members:

Presidents. Vice-Presidents.
1890–1891 Count Ito 1890–1891 Count Higashikuze
1891–1896 Marquis Hachisuka 1891–1893 Baron Hosowaka
1896–1903 Prince Konoye 1893–1894 Marquis Saionji
1903– Prince Tokugawa 1894– Marquis Kuroda

The House of Representatives consists of 381 members. Any “male Japanese subject who is not less than full thirty years of age shall be eligible for election,” except that certain persons laboring under mental or financial or civic disabilities can neither enjoy the franchise nor be eligible for election. Heads of noble families; men in the active service of the army or the navy; students; Shinto priests and ministers, priests and teachers of religion of all kinds; teachers of elementary schools; and certain Government officials and persons working for the Government under contract are likewise ineligible in either case.

Electors must possess the following qualifications:

1. Completion of the twenty-fifth year of age.

2. A permanent residence in the election district for not less than one year previous to the date of drawing up the electoral list.

3. Payment of direct national taxes to the amount of not less than ten yen.

It should be noted that, while an elector possesses the franchise five years before he is eligible for election, the candidate has the great advantage over the elector of not being limited by any residential or property qualifications.

The members of the House of Representatives are elected under the system of large electoral districts, and by single non-transferable votes. The ballot is secret.[1] A city having a population of over 30,000 forms one electoral district, with one or two members, according to size. The three cities of Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto form each one district,

  1. ↑ Uyehara, op. cit., p. 178.

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