Speaker, Members of the The Assembly Hall and Prefecture Assembly, and Political Parties The Secretariat Office is a landlocked prefecture situated The Speaker The Assembly Hall in the middle of the Kanto Plain. It is bordered by Ibaraki The speaker and the vice speaker are elected from The current Assembly Hall was built in May 1983, and Prefecture and to the east, among the members of assembly through a vote. it is the fifth building since the original was built in 1885. Prefecture and to the west, the The speaker endeavors to keep the plenary session The current Assembly Hall was built with steel frames Metropolis to the south, and and running smoothly; maintains order in the assembly and reinforced concrete and has five stories above ground Prefecture to the north. As of July 2019, there are a total of hall; and appoints, directs, and supervises the staff and two stories under ground. It has a total floor area of 63 municipalities in Saitama Prefecture: 40 cities, 22 towns, of the secretariat office of the prefectural assembly. approximately 18,000 m2 and cost ¥7.7 billion. and 1 village. Saitama Prefecture has the largest number As the representative of the prefectural assembly, of cities in . The Prefectural Government Office is the speaker is responsible for voicing the intentions located in Saitama City. of the prefectural assembly, liaising and negotiating Saitama’s total area is approximately 3,800 km,2 which with the , and submitting written opinions accounts for 1 percent of the country’s total land area. One- approved by the prefectural assembly to central third of Saitama’s land is mountainous while the other two- government agencies. thirds are plains. The vice speaker takes the place of the speaker Saitama Prefecture has humid summers and cold winters when absent. with dry winds. The prefecture has the highest number of sunny days throughout the year and the least amount of damage caused by wind or floods in Japan. Members of the Assembly As of July 2019, the population of Saitama Prefecture is approximately 7.33 million people, and the prefecture Members of the assembly are elected directly by has one of the youngest populations in Japan. However, prefectural citizens, and their term is four years. The Committee Conference Room while the consistently increasing population is temporarily The Saitama Prefectural Assembly is composed of 93 members from 52 electoral districts. experiencing a decline, by 2030, the number of residents The main facilities include the plenary session hall Japanese nationals eighteen years of age and over over the age of 75 in Saitama Prefecture is estimated to with visitor seats, who have lived in Saitama Prefecture for more than increase to 1.28 million, 1.7 times the number in 2015. committee conference three months have the right to vote. Persons twenty- Due to this rapid speed of aging in Saitama Prefecture, the room, the speaker’s five years of age and over with the right to vote issue of maintaining the prefecture's vitality and youth has room, waiting rooms are eligible to run for a position in the prefectural become a topic of interest. for various party assembly. factions, and the library. Map Showing Saitama Prefecture

Political Parties The Speaker's Room Saitama A political party is a group of members within the Prefecture assembly who share the same political ideals. The Profile of the political activities of members of the assembly are Japan connected with their political party affiliation. The The Secretariat Office parties are as follows (as of July 2019): To support the activities of the Saitama Prefectural Saitama Prefectural Assembly, the secretariat office has 66 personnel Liberal Democratic Party in the library and the following divisions: the Assembly Independent Citizens Party Secretariat Division, the General Affairs Division, Saitama Citizens Forum the Proceedings Division, and the Policy Research Komeito Division. These divisions and the library are Japanese Communist Party supervised by the Executive Director and Deputy Independent Reformed Party Executive Director.

英語_3k.indd 1-4 19/08/21 18:22 Japan's Local Autonomous Functions and Powers of the Operation and Management of the Prefectural Assembly System Prefectural Assembly Under local government bylaws, the Saitama Local autonomy is guaranteed by Chapter 8 of the The prefectural assembly has two legislative functions: Prefectural Assembly convenes four times a year Japanese Constitution. The Constitution stipulates enacting bylaws and overseeing the prefectural government's (February, June, September, and December) for regular that each local autonomous body shall establish a executive body. The assembly's powers are specified as sessions. If the need arises, extraordinary sessions representative assembly that acts as a deliberative follows: shall be held only for specific cases. Regular sessions body. The chief executive officers of all local public run approximately 20 days with the exception of the entities and the members of their assemblies are 1. The Power to Vote February session, which runs approximately 35 days due elected directly by local citizens. Local government The assembly is able to vote on matters such as the to deliberations regarding the budget for the new fiscal bodies are able to enact their own bylaws, and matters creation, revision, and abolition of bylaws; setting the year. such as the management and organization of local budget; and closing accounts. government are kept independent by law. The Saitama Prefectural Assembly's Steering 2. The Power to Elect Committee is responsible for ensuring that the regular The Local Autonomy Law stipulates that local The assembly is able to elect positions such as the sessions proceed smoothly. Members of the Steering autonomy is administered by three fundamental speaker and the vice speaker of the prefectural assembly Committee are selected in proportion to the number of administrative divisions at the municipal level: shi (city), and members of the prefecture’s electoral administration each party's assembly members. The Steering Committee The Plenary Session Hall chō (town), and son (village). Prefectures are broader, committee. examines legislative proposals and petitions, and confers on the duration of the regular sessions, daily schedule of regional autonomous bodies comprised of these municipal Committees divisions, and each division has separate government 3. The Power to Monitor and Audit the regular sessions, and the handling of bills, making administrative roles. The assembly is able to investigate the status of adjustments as necessary. Standing Committees The Saitama Prefectural Government Campus matters such as administrative management and voting procedures. It is also able to request the audit committee The Handling of a Bill Under local government bylaws, the Saitama to audit accounts. Presentation to the Speaker Prefectural Assembly has the following eight standing 4. The Power to Conduct Investigations committees to investigate matters under their respective Plenary Session jurisdictions and examine legislative proposals and The assembly is able to make inquiries to and request Bill Presented petitions when necessary. documents from the executive body. It is also able to Presenter’s Explanation of the Bill request the person(s) involved to testify and present Questions and Answers 1. The Planning and Finance Committee records regarding the prefectural government’s actions. Referral to Committee 2. The General Affairs and Public Services Committee 5. Other Powers Committee Meeting 3. The Environment and Agriculture Committee 4. The Welfare, Health, and Medicine Committee The assembly is able to submit an opinion to the Presenter’s Explanation of the Bill 5. The Industry, Labor, and Enterprise Committee or other related administrative agencies; Questions accept petitions; and concur with the nomination of the vice Discussions 6. The Prefectural Urban Development Committee governor and audit committee members. Decision by Vote 7. The Education Committee The Prefectural Assembly and The Executive Body 8. The Police Affairs, Crisis Management, and Disaster Plenary Session Prevention Committee The prefectural assembly is referred to as the Regarding relations between the executive body and Committee Chairman’s Report decision-making body and decides the prefectural the prefectural assembly, both the prefectural governor Questions government's fundamental policies. The executive and the prefectural assembly have the right to introduce a Special Committees Discussions body, which includes the prefectural governor, bill. The prefectural governor, however, retains the right Decision by Vote implements the decisions made by the prefectural to introduce the budget bill. The prefectural assembly There are special committees within the Saitama assembly. Representing prefectural citizens, both is vested with the right to vote for non-confidence Prefectural Assembly that are established based on Forward to the Governor Handled by the Assembly political bodies exercise their respective authority towards the prefectural governor, whereas the prefectural voting when necessary. Special committees review (Implemented by the (Handled Only by the and function together in order to manage the governor has the right to dissolve the prefectural specified important matters such as prefectural Governor) Assembly) prefectural government on equal terms. assembly. administration.

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