National Diet Building of Japan

Brief information

Japan’s permanent parliament building appeared after a succession of temporary solutions: the first parliamentary buildings burned down, parliament had to meet in other people’s premises and even in a temporary building on the grounds of Hiroshima Castle. That is why the 1936 structure is important not only as a meeting place, but as an attempt to anchor parliament in a durable form: reinforced concrete, granite cladding, and a strict rectangular plan.

It was built as a national project in the literal sense. After the competition, the winning concept was used only as a guideline, while the construction itself followed a design by Ministry of Finance official Kenichi Yahashi. The condition was strict: the architect had to be Japanese, and the materials Japanese. Because of this, the granite facade and interior details read as part of a political gesture: the state building displays not an imported style, but the work of its own craftsmen and materials.

What to notice first

It is worth comparing the symmetry of the facade with the actual distribution of power inside. The left side is intended for the House of Representatives, the right for the House of Councillors; each has a separate entrance. The central entrance beneath the nine-story tower is not an ordinary main passage: it is used at the opening of new sessions, when admitting members after general elections, and when receiving high-ranking foreign guests. Thus the central tower becomes a sign of a special state occasion, not merely a vertical accent.

Inside, the same principle is expressed in the layout of the chambers. Both debating chambers are on the second floor, and the members’ seats are arranged in a semicircle around the rostrum. Behind the rostrum is the speaker’s seat, in front of it are the ministers’ seats, and above are the galleries for guests and the press. In the House of Councillors chamber there is a separate seat for the Emperor, used at the opening of sessions. These details show how the building does not simply house parliament, but arranges the participants in a political ritual along visible levels and axes.