Page:The constitution of Japan - with the laws pertaining thereto, and the imperial oath and speech. Promulgated at the Imperial palace, February 11th, 1889 (IA cu31924023459880).pdf/18

12 —The President and Vice-President of the House of Representatives shall both of them be nominated by the Emperor, from among three candidates respectively elected by the House for each of those offices.

Until the nomination of the President and Vice-President, the functions of President shall be discharged by the Chief Secretary.

—Each House shall divide the whole number of its Members into several Sections by lot, and in each Section a Chief shall be elected by and from among the Members belonging thereto.

—Upon the organization of both Houses, the day for the opening of the Imperial Diet shall be fixed by Imperial Order, and the ceremony of opening shall be celebrated by the assembling of the Members of both Houses in the House of Peers.

—On the occasion referred to in the preceding Article, the functions of President shall be exercised by the President of the House of Peers.

—There shall be in each House a President and a Vice-President.

—The term of the office of the President and of the Vice-President of the House [sic] House of Representatives, shall be the same as that of the membership thereof.

—When the office of President or of Vice-President of the House of Representatives, has become vacant by the resignation of the occupant thereof or for any other reason, the term of office of the successor shall be in correspondence with that of his predecessor.

—The President of each House shall maintain order therein, regulate the debates, and represent the House outside thereof.

—The President of each House shall continue to assume the direction of the business of the House, during the interval that the Diet is not in session.

—The President shall be entitled to attend and take part in the debates of both the Standing and of the Special Committees, but he shall have no vote therein.

—In each House, in the event of the disability of the President, he shall be represented in his functions by the Vice-President.

—In each House, in the event of the disability of both the President and of the Vice-President at the same time, a temporary President shall be elected to exercise the functions of President.

—The President and the Vice-President of each House, shall, upon the expiration of their term of office, continue to exercise their functions, until their successors have been nominated by the Emperor.

—In each House there shall be appointed a Chief Secretary and several Secretaries.

The Chief Secretary shall be of the Chokunin rank, and the Secretaries of the Sonin rank.

—The Chief Secretary shall, under the direction of the President, supervise the business of the Secretaries and append his signature to official documents.