1960 Japanese general election

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1960 Japanese general election
Flag of Japan (1870-1999).svg
  1958 20 November 1960 1963  

All 467 seats in the House of Representatives
234 seats needed for a majority
Turnout73.50% (Decrease2.svg 3.48pp)
 First partySecond party
 
JFKWHP-KN-C18157 in Hayato Ikeda (cropped) restored Crop.jpg
Saburo Eda 1963 Salvaged Crop.jpg
Leader Hayato Ikeda Saburō Eda
(replacing Inejirō Asanuma )
Party LDP Socialist
Last election57.80%, 287 seats32.94%, 166 seats
Seats won296145
Seat changeIncrease2.svg9Decrease2.svg21
Popular vote22,740,27210,887,134
Percentage57.56%27.56%
SwingDecrease2.svg0.24ppDecrease2.svg5.88pp

 Third partyFourth party
 
NISHIO Suehiro.jpg
Kenji Miyamoto (cropped).jpg
Leader Suehiro Nishio Kenji Miyamoto
Party Democratic Socialist JCP
Last electionDid not exist2.55%, 1 seat
Seats won173
Seat changeNewIncrease2.svg2
Popular vote3,464,1481,156,723
Percentage8.77%2.93%
SwingNewIncrease2.svg0.38pp

1960 JAPAN GENERAL ELECTION, combined vote share.svg
Districts shaded according to winners' vote strength

Prime Minister before election

Hayato Ikeda
LDP

Elected Prime Minister

Hayato Ikeda
LDP

'General elections were held in Japan on 20 November 1960. [1] The result was a victory for the Liberal Democratic Party, which won 296 of the 467 seats. Voter turnout was 73.5%, the lowest since the 1947 general elections. [2]

Contents

Background

The elections came near the end of a turbulent year marked by violent labour disputes at Mitsui Miike Coal Mine, the "May 19th Incident" in which Nobusuke Kishi and LDP lawmakers in the Diet forced the revised US-Japan Security Treaty through parliament (causing an upsurge in the Anpo protests), and the assassination of Japan Socialist Party (JSP) leader Inejirō Asanuma by wakizashi -wielding right-wing youth named Otoya Yamaguchi. Prior to the elections there were a number of left-wing street protests and right-wing vigilante actions.

Campaign

As public antipathy was largely towards Kishi and his cabinet, rather than flagship LDP policies, the election was not a setback for the party. Kishi's successor, Hayato Ikeda, was popular for his moderate attitude and public image as a practical finance minister, and LDP candidates focused heavily on issues such as maintaining already-strong economic growth. Ikeda made a splash with his promise to double the national income in ten years, known as the "Income Doubling Plan," which also promised economic benefits such as tax cuts to small businesses, farmers, and consumers.

The LDP also benefitted from factionalism in the JSP, as the more moderate and anti-communist Democratic Socialist Party seceded from the JSP at the beginning of the year, leading to a spoiler effect. [2]

Results

Although the LDP saw a small reduction in its vote share compared to the 1958 elections and the JSP and DSP collectively received around 1.3 million more votes than the united JSP did in the 1958 elections, the LDP gained nine seats, while the JSP and DSP lost a net four seats.

Japan House of Representatives 1960.svg
PartyVotes%Seats+/–
Liberal Democratic Party 22,740,27257.56296+9
Japan Socialist Party 10,887,13427.56145−21
Democratic Socialist Party 3,464,1488.7717New
Japanese Communist Party 1,156,7232.933+2
Other parties141,9410.361
Independents1,118,9052.835−7
Total39,509,123100.004670
Valid votes39,509,12398.97
Invalid/blank votes410,9961.03
Total votes39,920,119100.00
Registered voters/turnout54,312,99373.50
Source: Baerwald, Mackie

By prefecture

PrefectureTotal
seats
Seats won
LDP JSP DSP JCP OthersInd.
Aichi 191261
Akita 853
Aomori 761
Chiba 13103
Ehime 972
Fukui 431
Fukuoka 191072
Fukushima 12741
Gifu 9531
Gunma 1064
Hiroshima 12831
Hokkaido 221210
Hyōgo 1810611
Ibaraki 1293
Ishikawa 651
Iwate 862
Kagawa 6411
Kagoshima 1192
Kanagawa 13832
Kōchi 541
Kumamoto 1073
Kyoto 104321
Mie 95211
Miyagi 963
Miyazaki 642
Nagano 1385
Nagasaki 963
Nara 541
Niigata 1587
Ōita 752
Okayama 1073
Osaka 197732
Saga 5311
Saitama 13841
Shiga 5221
Shimane 541
Shizuoka 14104
Tochigi 1064
Tokushima 541
Tokyo 2715111
Tottori 431
Toyama 642
Wakayama 642
Yamagata 862
Yamaguchi 9621
Yamanashi 541
Total46729614517315

References

  1. Dieter Nohlen, Florian Grotz & Christof Hartmann (2001) Elections in Asia: A data handbook, Volume II, p363 ISBN   0-19-924959-8
  2. 1 2 Douglas H. Mendel, Jr. (1961). "Behind the 1960 Japanese Diet Election" . Asian Survey. 1 (1): 3–12. doi:10.2307/3023661. ISSN   0004-4687. JSTOR   3023661.