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/23

Rh —When either House makes amendments to a Bill carried into it from the other House, the Bill as amended shall be returned to the first House. When the first House agrees to the amendments, it shall, simultaneously with addressing the Emperor, report to the Second House. When, on the other hand, the first House does not agree to such amendments, it may demand a conference of the two Houses.

When either House demands a conferencw, the other House cannot refuse it.

—Both Houses shall elect an equal number, not more than ten, of Managers to meet in conference. When the Bill in question has been adjusted in the conference, the adjusted Bill shall be discussed first in that House which had either received it from the Government or had initiated it, and the Bill is then carried to the other House.

No motion for amendments can be made to a Bill that has been adjusted in a conference.

—The Ministers of State, the Delegates of the Government and the Presidents of both Houses, are at liberty to attend a conference of the two Houses and to express their opinions thereat.

—No strangers are allowed to be present at a conference of the two Houses.

—At a conference of the two Houses, vote shall be taken by secret ballot. In the event of a tie vote, the Chairman shall have the casting vote.

—The Managers from the two Houses shall separately elect one of themselves Chairman of the conference. The Chairman thus elected shall occupy the chair at alternate meetings of the conference. The Chairmanship of the first meeting shall be settled by the drawing of lots.

—All other regulations besides what is provided for in the present Chapter, as to any business in which both Houses are concerned, shalt be determined by a conference of the two Houses.

—All petitions addressed to either House by people shall be received through the medium of a Member.

—Petitions shall be submitted, in either House, to the examination of the Committee on Petitions.

When the Committees on Petitions considers that a petition is not in conformity with the established rules, the President shall return it through the Member, through whose medium it was originally presented.

—The Committee on Petitions shall compile a list, in which shall be noted the essential points of each petition, and shall report once a week to the House.

When it is asked for by a special report of the Committee on Petitions or by not less than thirty Members of the House, either House may proceed to debate on the matter of the petition in question.

—When either House passes a vote to entertain a petition, the petition shall then be sent to the Government, together with a memorial of the House thereon and the House may, according to circumstances, demand a report thereon of the Government.