It is located in the Kasumigaseki district. Construction of the Diet House was started in January 1920 (after the old one was burned) and completed in 1936. Japan has a democratic system of government and it was founded on the Constitution of Japan. The Constitution is also called Peace Constitution because it affirms Japan’s commitment to peace and its renunciation of war. The national legislature is called the Diet. The Diet has two houses: The House of Representatives and the House of Councillors. It came into existence in 1890 by virtue of the Meiji Constitution. In the old days, the basic principle of the Meiji Constitution was monarchism and the power of the Imperial Diet was narrower. After World War II, the new Constitution proclaimed that the power resides in the people and the Emperor is the symbol of the state. Emperor Akihito (who came into the throne in 1989) has his own room and throne whenever he visits the Diet House. The 1946 Japanese Constitution proclames that Japan is a peaceful country---there are therefore, no military forces and no military expenses in any of the 47 prefectures of the island. Some of the most influential political parties in the Japan of today are: Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) New Komeito (NK) Social Democratic Party of Japan (SDPJ) Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) Liberal Party (LP) and Japanese Communist Party (JCP).