Should Japan keep its bicameral parliamentary system? Put another way, is the House of Councilors, or Upper House, really necessary? The question is not new. Many Japanese have long regarded it as the "rubber stamp" of the more influential House of Representatives. Now the issue is coming under scrutiny again. In the background looms constitutional reform.
The Upper House's carbon-copy image arises mainly from its powers, which overlap those of the Lower House. This overlap is the major reason behind the criticism that it often takes too long for the Diet to act on matters of national policy. The demand for administrative and fiscal reform -- that is, for a smaller government -- also is contributing to the popular perception that the upper chamber is unnecessary.
Parliamentary reform is moving onto the political agenda now that the two largest parties, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the opposition Democratic Party of Japan, are bracing for a review of the bicameral system. Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has ordered the LDP to conduct a study, while Mr. Naoto Kan, head of the DPJ, has already said he believes that the unicameral system is better.