In Japan, any organization that supports a candidate needs to register itself as a political party. Each of these parties have some local or national influence. This article lists political parties in Japan with representation in the National Diet, either in the House of Representatives (lower house) or in the House of Councillors (upper house). The article also mentions political parties within the nation that either used to be within representation, or parties that currently are.

Current parties

Main parties

Legal status as a political party (seitō) is tied to having five members in the Diet or one member and at least two percent nationally of either proportional or majoritarian vote in one of the three elections of the current members of the National Diet, i.e. the last House of Representatives general election and the last two House of Councillors regular elections. Political parties receive public party funding (¥ 250 per citizen, about ¥ 32 bill. in total per fiscal year, distributed according to recent national elections results – last HR general and last two HC regular elections – and Diet strength on January 1), are allowed to concurrently nominate candidates for the House of Representatives in an electoral district and on a proportional list, may take political donations from legal persons, i.e. corporations, and other benefits such as air time on public broadcaster NHK. Laws regulating political parties include the 公職選挙法 (Public Offices Election Act ), the 政治資金規正法 (Political Funds Control Act ) and the 政党助成法 (Political Parties Subsidies Act ). (Note: Translations have no legal effect and are by definition "unofficial" .) Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications: s/index.html General information and published reports about political party funding (In Japanese)

Local parties

Under Japanese law, all of the parties below are "political organizations" (seiji dantai), not "political parties" (seitō, see above).

Parties represented in prefectural assemblies

Other parties represented in local councils

Other parties

Current political parties that used to be in the Diet but are not currently represented: Japan has other minor parties not represented in Parliament (which have never been represented before), some are new, others with communist and socialist ideologies, as well as a few nationalist, reformist, and far-right parties. Some of them include:

Defunct parties

Former major parties

Others

Pre- and early constitutional era

Empire of Japan until 1940

Socialist and labour movement

In 1940, all remaining political parties with the exception of the Tōhōkai became part of the Imperial Rule Assistance Association or were banned.

Postwar Japan

Note: Postwar parties often give themselves "English" names which sometimes differ significantly from translations of their Japanese names.

LDP precursor and breakaway parties

JSP breakaway parties

Other NFP and DPJ precursor and breakaway parties

Others

Political parties in U.S. Okinawa