Japan Renames Parliament’s Upper House “Senate” in English-Language Reform

KUALA LUMPUR, JULY 2026 – Japan has decided to rename the English-language designation of the upper chamber of its National Diet from the “House of Councillors” to the “Senate.”

The decision was approved on Thursday, July 23, 2026, by the upper chamber’s Committee on Rules and Administration. The change is intended to make it clearer to international audiences that the chamber’s members are nationally elected representatives.

Following the change, the chamber’s 248 members will be referred to in English as senators. The new terminology will be introduced gradually rather than being implemented across every official platform immediately.

The Japanese government will be asked to update the chamber’s English name in official documents. References printed on members’ official passports and displayed on the upper house’s website will also be revised in stages.

According to the upper house secretariat, “Senate” was selected because it is the English term commonly used for the upper chamber in many countries operating under bicameral parliamentary systems. The change is expected to make Japan’s political institutions easier to understand internationally.

The reform concerns the chamber’s English-language identity and how it is presented in international communication. It does not change the chamber’s constitutional position, membership structure or legislative authority within Japan’s political system. The Japanese name, Sangiin, remains associated with the country’s upper house.

Japan’s National Diet consists of two chambers: the newly designated Senate and the 465-member House of Representatives. The upper chamber has more limited powers than the lower house in several important parliamentary matters.

Members of the upper chamber serve six-year terms. Elections are staggered, with half of the 248 seats contested every three years, providing continuity in the chamber even when Japan’s political landscape changes.

Unlike the upper chamber, the House of Representatives may be dissolved before the completion of its members’ terms. The lower house also holds greater authority in areas including the national budget, international treaties and the selection of the prime minister.

The outgoing English term, “House of Councillors,” had been used for decades and remains visible on the chamber’s official English-language website while the transition is being prepared. The official site identifies the institution as the upper house of Japan’s National Diet and lists its current parliamentary activities and members.

The change to “Senate” is primarily intended to improve clarity rather than introduce a major political reform. International audiences are generally more familiar with the terms “Senate” and “senator,” particularly when referring to the upper chamber of a national legislature.

The new wording may also simplify diplomatic and inter-parliamentary communication between Japan and countries whose upper houses already use the Senate designation.