What is The Diet Celebration League of the 20th Anniversary of His Majesty The Emperor’s Accession to the Throne
By formation of opinions that government hand-in-hand with the private sector has to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of His Majesty The Emperor’s Accession to the Throne, Diet members voluntarily participated from The Liberal Democratic Party of Japan, The Democratic Party of Japan, and New Komeito (Komeito means a party open and fair) started to unofficially hold a council from about February 2008. In April 2008, respective parties dispatched caretakers for concretization and agreed nine out of ten to set up The Diet Celebration League of the 20th Anniversary of His Majesty The Emperor’s Accession to the Throne.
On June 3, 2008 the caretakers’ meeting was hold at the fifth common laboratory in the Diet library, so that a following first draft was approved as a campaign policy:
Campaign Policy of “The Diet Celebration League of the 20th Anniversary of His Majesty The Emperor’s Accession to the Throne”
His Majesty the Emperor puts on twenty years becoming a milestone for congratulations since accession to the throne. During this period, his Majesty has assumed various and pragmatic official business including royal visits to all of 47 prefectural and city governments in Japan as a symbol of unity of the general public, and always continued to invoke peace and security of a nation and citizens of the state.
So, we Diet members have decided to set up “The Diet Celebration League of the 20th Anniversary of His Majesty The Emperor’s Accession to the Throne and its caretakers committee”, irrespective of party affiliation, and to address the following 5 core items in cooperation with a private organization “The Celebration Committee of the 20th Anniversary of His Majesty the Emperor’s Accession to the Throne” headed by chairman Mr. Tadashi Okamura (president of the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry):
- We promptly make laws to constitute “the Anniversary of Accession Ceremony solemnized in the main shrine” of November 12, 2009 as an extra holiday.
- Under joint hosting with the private organization “The Celebration Committee of the 20th Anniversary of His Majesty the Emperor’s Accession to the Throne”, we organize “The National Celebration for the 20th Anniversary of His Majesty The Emperor’s Accession to the Throne” on Nov. 9, 2008 and “The National Festival for the 20th Anniversary of His Majesty The Emperor’s Accession to the Throne” on Nov.12, 2009 in the square in front of Imperial Palace.
- We ask government to organize “Celebration for the 20th Anniversary of His Majesty The Emperor’s Accession to the Throne” in November 2009 under the auspices of government.
- We work on both houses of the Diet to prosecute a parliamentary resolution of “congratulations” celebrating the 20th Anniversary of His Majesty’s Accession to the Throne” in autumn of 2009.
- Based on the commemorative event 10 years ago having celebrated the 10th anniversary of accession to the throne, we ask Cabinet Office to set up ”a liaison office for the commemorative event celebrating the 20th anniversary of accession to the throne (as a provisional title) in order for the government ministries and agencies to set forward the commemorative events.
Period.
Issued on June 3, 2008.
Responding to the consensus of above human affairs proposal and campaign policy proposal, a general conference by board members was held at the congressional office building of House of Representatives on Oct. 16, 2008, to set up “The Diet Celebration League of the 20th Anniversary of His Majesty The Emperor’s Accession to the Throne”, whereby both board member constitution and campaign policy were made a formal decision.
As for board member constitution, it was decided that following people took the post of respective roles; advisers were persons with experience of a prime minister position including Messrs. Koizumi, Abe and Fukuda, and each political party leader including President Ozawa of The Democratic Party of Japan, President Ota of New Koumeito、President Watanuki of The People's New Party; chairman was former prime minister Yoshiro Mori; vice-chairmen were each party secretary general including Mr. Hosoda of The Liberal Democratic Party of Japan, Mr. Hatoyama of The Democratic Party of Japan, Mr. Kitagawa of New Koumeito; president of Executive Committee was Mr. Takeo Hiranuma; executive director was Mr. Seiichi Eto. Consequently the organization started with some 80 persons, irrespective of party affiliation, taking the post of board.
In February 2009, a memorandum of intent and a bylaw were developed based on the campaign policy to widely call for Diet members of their participation in “The Diet Celebration League”, so that 453 Diet members from both Houses associated as of July 15, 2009.
Note: Status of participation in “The Diet Celebration League”
453 persons consisting of 326 from the House of Representatives (HR) and 127 from the Upper House (UH) as of July 15, 2009
| Name of Party | Participant | Number of Seats | ||||
| Total | HR | UH | Total | HR | UH | |
| Liberal Democratic | 326 | 249 | 76 | 386 | 305 | 83 |
| Democratic | 61 | 38 | 23 | 222 | 113 | 109 |
| New Komei | 52 | 31 | 21 | 52 | 31 | 21 |
| People's New | 8 | 4 | 4 | 10 | 5 | 5 |
| Japan Renaissance | 4 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 4 |
| New Party DAICHI | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||
| independent | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ||
| Total | 453 | 326 | 127 | |||
