Okinawa Prefectural Assembly

The Okinawa Prefectural Assembly (沖縄県議会, Okinawa-kengikai) is the prefectural parliament of Okinawa.

Okinawa Prefectural Assembly

沖縄県議会

Okinawa-kengikai
Type
Type
History
Founded1909 (1909) in the Empire[1]
1972 (1972) after end of U.S. military rule
Leadership
President (gichō)
Masaharu Kina, Independent
Vice President (fuku-gichō)
Masatoshi Onaga, Liberal Democratic Party
Structure
Seats48
Political groups
Government (26)
  SDP/Social Mass (12)
  Independent Okinawa Faction (8)
  JCP (6)

Neutral (6)

  Kōmeitō (4)
  Initiatives from Okinawa (2)

Opposition (14)

  LDP (14)

Independents/vacant (2)

  Independent (1)
  Vacant (1)
Elections
Last election
5 June 2016
Meeting place
Website
Official website

Its 48 members are elected every four years in 14 districts by single non-transferable vote (SNTV). 13 electoral districts are multi-member district, one district is a single-member district where SNTV becomes equivalent to First-past-the-post voting.

The assembly is responsible for enacting and amending prefectural ordinances, approving the budget and voting on important administrative appointments made by the governor including the vice-governors.

Unlike most mainland prefectural assemblies (Hokkaidō is another exception) the Okinawa Prefectural Assembly was not in existence continuously since 1878. After the Battle of Okinawa, the United States military governed the prefecture. The civilian branch of the military government was the United States Civil Administration of the Ryukyu Islands; a Legislature of the Government of the Ryukyu Islands (立法院) was created in 1952. After Okinawa's return to the mainland in 1972, the Prefectural Assembly was restored. Since then, it had been one of three prefectures in the country that do not elect their assemblies in unified local elections (last round: 2011), the other two being Ibaraki and Tokyo (In 2011, another three prefectures hit by the Great East Japan earthquake postponed their elections).

Current composition

As of 2017, the assembly was composed as follows:[2]

Composition of the Okinawa Prefectural Assembly
Parliamentary group Seats
Liberal Democratic Party 14
Social Democratic Party/OSMP 12
Okinawa 8
Japanese Communist Party 6
Kōmeitō 4
Initiatives from Osaka (Ishin no Kai) 2
Independents 1
Vacant 1
Total (including vacant seats) 48

Electoral districts

Most electoral districts in Okinawa correspond to current cities or former counties (the counties, abolished as administrative unit in 1921, had initially by definition served as electoral districts for prefectural assemblies in the Empire).

Electoral districts[3]
District Municipalities Magnitude
Nago City Nago City 2
Uruma City Uruma City 4
Okinawa City Okinawa City 5
Ginowan City Ginowan City 3
Urasoe City Urasoe City 4
Naha City Naha City 11
Tomigusuku City Tomigusuku City 2
Itoman City Itoman City 2
Nanjō City Nanjō City 1
Miyakojima City Miyakojima City
Tarama Village		 2
Ishigaki City Ishigaki City
Taketomi Town
Yonaguni Town		 2
Kunigami County Kunigami Village
Ōgimi Village
Higashi Village
Nakijin Village
Motobu Town
Onna Village
Ginoza Village
Kin Town
Ie Village
Izena Village
Iheya Village		 2
Nakagami County Yomitan Village
Kadena Town
Chatan Town
North Nakagusuku Village
Nakagusuku Village
Nishihara Town		 5
Shimajiri County Yaese Town
Yonabaru Town
Haebaru Town
Kumejima Town
Tokashiki Village
Zamami Village
Aguni Village
Tonaki Village
South Daitō Village
North Daitō Village		 3

References
  1. Okinawa Prefectural Assembly: History
  2. Assembly members by parliamentary group(in Japanese)
  3. Okinawa Prefectural Assembly: Organizational structure and electoral districts
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