The Diet, the sole law-making organ of the State, deliberates various bills including legislative bills and budget proposals. These deliberation meetings are recorded, printed and issued as Minutes. This webpage explains Minutes briefly, and introduces how to search information on meetings of the Diet on the internet.

The following webpages describe the Japanese Diet system in English.

• Guide to the House - Diet functions (House of Representatives)
• Guide (House of Councillors)
• movie 【The National Diet of Japan】 (House of Councillors)

Minutes of the Diet

Meetings held in the Diet comprise plenary sessions and committee meetings. Plenary sessions consist of all members of each House. The will of each House is determined at these sessions. Committees are established as preliminary reviewing bodies to facilitate plenary sessions. They review agendas and survey national politics. Certain matters including agendas of all meetings are recorded as minutes and issued. Minutes are taken literally based on stenography.

Plenary Session Minutes

In accordance with the Constitution of Japan, Article 57, minutes of plenary sessions are published and given general circulation as extra editions of Official Gazettes, which are national bulletins. Minutes of the House of Representatives and House of Councillors are issued separately (House of Representatives Minutes and House of Councillors Minutes). Number 1 is issued on the date of the convocation and continues until the closing date. After the closing date, indexes are issued, enabling users to search by agenda and speaker.
Matters recorded in Plenary Session Minutes are defined in the Diet Law, Rules of the House of Representatives (Chapter15. Meeting Minutes) (in Japanese), Rules of the House of Councillors (Chapter X. Minutes), and House of Councillors Record of Precedents (Chapter15. Meeting Minutes) (in Japanese), etc.

Committee Meeting Minutes

Records of Committees are issued as "House of Representative Committees Minutes" and "House of Councillors Committees Minutes" separately.

In addition to Committees, Research Committees of the House of Councillors, Commissions on the Constitution of Japan (both houses), subcommittees, sectional committees, public hearings, Federal Review Board, Joint Examination Committee and Joint Meetings of the Committees of both Houses are held, and their meeting minutes are issued. After the closing date, table of contents (Agenda indexes are available in the House of Councillors Minutes) and indexes which summarize all committees (Agenda/speaker indexes are available in the House of Representatives Minutes and speaker indexes are available in the House of Coucillors Minutes) are issued for both houses.

Matters recorded in Committee Meeting Minutes are defined in Rules of the House of Representatives (Article 61-66)(in Japanese), Rules of the House of Councillors (Article 56-59), House of Councillors Record of Precedents (Chapter 12. Committee Meeting Minutes)(in Japanese), etc.

How to search Minutes of the Diet

The following database and websites enable users to search Minutes of the Diet:

• Minutes of the Diet Search System (National Diet Library) (in Japanese)
  The minutes of plenary sessions and committees from the 1^st Diet session (convened in May 1947) are available in text and PDF form. With the Selection Browsing function, users can browse relevant minutes by selecting house and number. Also, Simple Search or Detailed Search enable users to search by speaker, meeting name, number and keyword. Full-text search is available for meeting contents such as Q&As as well as Meeting Minutes Information (dates, attendees, agendas, etc.).

• Meeting Minutes Information (House of Representatives) (in Japanese)
  The minutes from the 151^st Diet session (convened on January 31, 2001) are available.

• Meeting Minutes Information - Meetings held in the House of Councillors within the past 30 days (in Japanese)
  The minutes of meetings held within past 30 days are available.

Internet Deliberation Relay

All deliberations held in both the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors are webcast.

• House of Representatives Internet TV (in Japanese) (in English)
  Internet Deliberation Relay comprises Real Time Relay and Video Library of past deliberations.
  Videos from the 174^th Diet session (convened on January 18, 2010) are available in the Video Library.
  Search from the date(s) of meeting(s), name of meeting, agenda, and speaker are available in the Japanese version, and search form the date(s) of meeting(s) and name of meeting are available in the English version.

• House of Councillors Internet Deliberation Relay (in Japanese)
  Internet Deliberation Relay comprises Real Time Relay and Video Archive of past deliberations.
  Past deliberations are available on Video Archive for a year after the closing of each session.
  Search from the keyword, name of meeting, date of meeting, speaker, agenda and progress are available.

The following websites provide information on the progress of plenary sessions and committee meetings.

• House of Representatives
  House of Representatives Information - Progress on plenary sessions, committee meetings, etc.(in Japanese)
  From the 147^th Diet session (convened on January 20, 2000)
  
  Committee News (in Japanese)
  From the 169^th Diet session (convened on January 18, 2008)

• House of Councillors
  House of Councillors Information - Progress on plenary sessions, committee meetings, etc. (in Japanese)
  From the 153^rd Diet session (convened on September 27, 2001)

Minutes of the Imperial Diet

Minutes of the Imperial Diet Search System (National Diet Library)(in Japanese)

Digital images of stenographic minutes of the Imperial Diet's plenary sessions and committee meetings (1^st-92^nd) (1890-1947) are available in this system.
Index/Tables of content Search and Speaker Search functions are available for the 1^st to 87^th Diet minutes. Full-text search is not available.
Full-text Search is available for the 88^th to 92^nd Diet minutes which were held after World War II.
Also, with the Selection browsing function, users can browse relevant minutes by selecting house, session number, name of meeting, and date of meeting.