Legal provisions for recall at national level

Local Autonomy Law: Articles 76, 78, 80, 81, 83

(Passed April 1947; last amended April 2013)

English (1999 version): http://nippon.zaidan.info/seikabutsu/1999/00168/mokuji.htm

Original (most recent): http://law.e-gov.go.jp/htmldata/S22/S22HO067.html

Article 76: One-third or more of the total electorate may, under joint signature and through their representative, present a petition, in accordance with cabinet order, to the election administration commission, demanding dissolution of the assembly of the ordinary local public body.

3. The commission shall put such petition to a vote of the electorate.

Article 78: The assembly shall be dissolved, if so demanded by a majority vote.

Article 80: One-third or more of the total electorate may, under joint signature and through their representative, present a petition, in accordance with cabinet order, to the election administration commission, demanding the removal from office of any member of the assembly elected therefrom. If he/she has been elected at large, one-third or more of the total electors may present such a petition.

3. The commission shall put such petition to a vote of the electors of the electoral district, or the total electors, as the case may be.

Article 81: One-third or more of the total electorate may, under joint signature and through their representative, present a petition, in accordance with cabinet order, to the election administration commission, demanding the removal from office of the chief executive of the ordinary local public body.