When confronted with a state of emergency disaster, in cases where assistance from other countries concerning the relief of disaster victims cannot be accepted urgently and smoothly according to law, when the Diet is in adjournment or the House of Representatives is in dissolution, and further, there is no time to make a determination to convoke an extraordinary session in the Diet or to convoke an emergency session of the House of Councilors for its action, the Cabinet may enact Cabinet Order in order to take necessary measures to accept the assistance.
災害緊急事態に際し法律の規定によつては被災者の救助に係る海外からの支援を緊急かつ円滑に受け入れることができない場合において、国会が閉会中又は衆議院が解散中であり、かつ、臨時会の召集を決定し、又は参議院の緊急集会を求めてその措置を待ついとまがないときは、内閣は、当該受入れについて必要な措置をとるため、政令を制定することができる。
The provisions of paragraphs (3) through (7) of the preceding Article apply mutatis mutandis to the preceding paragraph.
前条第三項から第七項までの規定は、前項の場合について準用する。
the Cabinet
内閣
The body that holds executive power: the Prime Minister and the other Ministers of State (Articles 65 and 66). It administers the law, conducts foreign affairs, prepares the budget and issues Cabinet Orders (政令); Article 73 is the list. It answers to the Diet as a body (Article 66, paragraph (3)), and must resign if the House of Representatives passes a vote of no confidence and is not dissolved within ten days (Article 69).
Written by AI using Constitution, Arts. 65, 66, 69, 73 and Wikipedia: Cabinet of Japan as a reference.
the Diet
国会
Japan's parliament, and under Article 41 the only body that can make an Act (法律). It has two chambers, the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors, both made up of elected members (Articles 42 and 43). It designates the Prime Minister, approves the budget and treaties, and can start the process of amending the Constitution. A Cabinet Order (政令) or Ministerial Order (省令) may impose a duty or a penalty only where an Act the Diet passed says it may.
Written by AI using Constitution, Arts. 41, 42, 43 and Wikipedia: National Diet as a reference.
House of Councillors
参議院
The upper of the Diet's two chambers (Article 42). Its members serve six years, half of them elected every three years, and it is never dissolved (Article 46) — so it always has sitting members, where the House of Representatives can have none. That is not the same as always being open: when the House of Representatives is dissolved the House of Councillors is closed at the same time, and during that closure it sits only if the Cabinet calls it into emergency session because the country needs one (Article 54, paragraph (2)).
Written by AI using Constitution, Arts. 42, 46, 54 and Wikipedia: House of Councillors (Japan) as a reference.
House of Representatives
衆議院
The lower of the Diet's two chambers (Article 42). Its members serve four years, and the term ends early whenever the House is dissolved (Article 45) — which is the difference that matters: the House of Councillors cannot be dissolved. Where the two chambers disagree, the House of Representatives can prevail, on an Act by passing it again with two thirds of the members present (Article 59, paragraph (2)), and on the budget, treaties and the choice of Prime Minister by its decision simply becoming the Diet's.
Written by AI using Constitution, Arts. 42, 45, 59, 60, 61, 67 and Wikipedia: House of Representatives (Japan) as a reference.