Peernovo
Management government officials

How to become a Member of the National Diet

Also called: Member of the House of Representatives, Member of the House of Councillors

Is elected by the public to the National Diet, the country's highest law-making body, where they make laws, pass the budget, review public accounts, approve treaties and choose the Prime Minister.

How to become one

No particular education or qualifications are needed. To become a Diet member you must stand as a candidate and be chosen by voters in an election. To stand, you must be a Japanese citizen aged 25 or over for the House of Representatives, or 30 or over for the House of Councillors. Most public servants cannot stand, apart from some exceptions, and there are other grounds that disqualify you, such as having been sentenced to imprisonment and not yet finished serving it, or having had your right to vote or stand suspended. You must also lodge a deposit with the Legal Affairs Bureau when you stand. Routes into the Diet include moving from being a mayor, governor or prefectural assembly member, working as a Diet member's secretary (publicly or privately employed), applying through a political party's open selection, gaining experience as a party member, going through a political training school, or moving from the public service. Once elected, members sit on various committees and gain experience. Some become committee chairs or the Speaker or President of their house. Some also join the government as parliamentary vice-ministers, state ministers or ministers. A key quality for a politician is the planning ability to judge how urgent and important issues are, negotiate with the people involved and turn the result into policy. With so many problems at home and abroad, members are expected to keep improving, including in their ability to develop policy. You also need the communication skills to deal accurately with other members, voters, government officials and the media, and the presentation skills to explain your policies and messages clearly and make your case. Because you may take part in important decisions about the country's future on behalf of the people, a high level of insight and strong ethics are important.

Pay · Job openings · AI and this job

Not sure this is for you? Take the 2-minute career quiz

Questions people ask

How do I become a Member of the National Diet?

No particular education or qualifications are needed. To become a Diet member you must stand as a candidate and be chosen by voters in an election. To stand, you must be a Japanese citizen aged 25 or over for the House of Representatives, or 30 or over for the House of Councillors. Most public servants cannot stand, apart from some exceptions, and there are other grounds that disqualify you, such as having been sentenced to imprisonment and not yet finished serving it, or having had your right to vote or stand suspended. You must also lodge a deposit with the Legal Affairs Bureau when you stand. Routes into the Diet include moving from being a mayor, governor or prefectural assembly member, working as a Diet member's secretary (publicly or privately employed), applying through a political party's open selection, gaining experience as a party member, going through a political training school, or moving from the public service. Once elected, members sit on various committees and gain experience. Some become committee chairs or the Speaker or President of their house. Some also join the government as parliamentary vice-ministers, state ministers or ministers. A key quality for a politician is the planning ability to judge how urgent and important issues are, negotiate with the people involved and turn the result into policy. With so many problems at home and abroad, members are expected to keep improving, including in their ability to develop policy. You also need the communication skills to deal accurately with other members, voters, government officials and the media, and the presentation skills to explain your policies and messages clearly and make your case. Because you may take part in important decisions about the country's future on behalf of the people, a high level of insight and strong ethics are important.

Do you need a degree to become a Member of the National Diet?

Usually. In this job's census occupation group, 61% of workers are university graduates.

Will AI change the work of a Member of the National Diet?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

独立行政法人労働政策研究・研修機構（JILPT）作成 職業情報データベース 解説系ダウンロードデータ（IPD_DL_description_7_01.xlsx）ver.7.01 職業情報提供サイト（job tag）より2026年10月4日にダウンロード（https://shigoto.mhlw.go.jp/User/download）を加工して作成

独立行政法人労働政策研究・研修機構（JILPT）作成 職業情報データベース 簡易版数値系ダウンロードデータ（IPD_DL_numeric_7_00.xlsx）ver.7.00 職業情報提供サイト（job tag）より2026年10月4日にダウンロード（https://shigoto.mhlw.go.jp/User/download）を加工して作成

Sources: JILPT Occupational Information Database download data via job tag (解説系 ver.7.01 and 簡易版数値系 ver.7.00, downloaded 4 October 2026), processed by Peernovo; MHLW, Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025; Statistics Bureau of Japan, 2020 Population Census; MEXT, School Basic Survey 2025; MHLW, Employment Referrals for General Workers (Hello Work statistics). Figures processed by Peernovo. English job names, translations and the matching of jobs to statistical groups, schools and degree fields by Peernovo.

Updated 4 October 2026