Japanese House of Councillors election, 2019

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Japanese House of Councillors election, 2019
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124 (of the 245) seats in the House of Councillors
123 seats needed for a majority
  Shinzo Abe Official.jpg Natsuo Yamaguchi.jpg Yuichiro Tamaki IMG 5649-1 20160903.jpg
Leader Shinzō Abe Natsuo Yamaguchi Yuichiro Tamaki
Party Liberal Democratic Komeito Democratic for the People
Leader since26 September 20128 September 20097 May 2018 [1]
Last election121 seats, 35.91%25 seats, 13.52%New party
Current seats1252524
  Yukio Edano 201210.jpg Kazuo Shii cropped.jpg Ichiro Matsui Ishin IMG 5775 20130713 cropped.jpg
Leader Yukio Edano Kazuo Shii Ichirō Matsui
Party Constitutional Democratic Communist Ishin
Leader since2 October 201724 November 20002 November 2015
Last electionNew party14 seats, 10.74%12 seats, 9.20%
Current seats171411
  Ichiro Ozawa cropped 3 Yoshitaka Kimoto and Ichiro Ozawa 20010718.jpg Shigefumi Matsuzawa (cropped).jpg
Leader Ichirō Ozawa Shigefumi Matsuzawa Seiji Mataichi
Party Liberal Kibō Social Democratic
Leader since25 January 20137 May 2018 25 February 2018
Last election2 seats, 1.91%New party2 seats, 2.74%
Current seats432
Incumbent President of the House of Councillors

Chuichi Date
Liberal Democratic


The 25th regular election of members of the House of Councillors (dai-nijūgo-kai Sangiin giin tsūjō senkyo, 第25回参議院議員通常選挙) will be held on July 2019 to elect 121 of the 242 members of the House of Councillors, the upper house of the 717-member bicameral National Diet of Japan, for a term of six years.

House of Councillors (Japan) upper house of Japan

The House of Councillors is the upper house of the National Diet of Japan. The House of Representatives is the lower house. The House of Councillors is the successor to the pre-war House of Peers. If the two houses disagree on matters of the budget, treaties, or designation of the prime minister, the House of Representatives can insist on its decision. In other decisions, the House of Representatives can override a vote of the House of Councillors only by a two-thirds majority of members present.

An upper house is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house. The house formally designated as the upper house is usually smaller and often has more restricted power than the lower house. Examples of upper houses in countries include the Australian Senate, Brazil's Senado Federal, the Canadian Senate, France's Sénat, Germany's Bundesrat, India's Rajya Sabha, Ireland's Seanad, Malaysia's Dewan Negara, the Netherlands' Eerste Kamer, Pakistan's Senate of Pakistan, Russia's Federation Council, Switzerland's Council of States, United Kingdom's House of Lords and the United States Senate.

National Diet legislature of Japan

The National Diet is Japan's bicameral legislature. It is composed of a lower house called the House of Representatives, and an upper house, called the House of Councillors. Both houses of the Diet are directly elected under parallel voting systems. In addition to passing laws, the Diet is formally responsible for selecting the Prime Minister. The Diet was first convened as the Imperial Diet in 1889 as a result of adopting the Meiji Constitution. The Diet took its current form in 1947 upon the adoption of the post-war constitution, which considers it the highest organ of state power. The National Diet Building is in Nagatachō, Chiyoda, Tokyo.

Contents

76 members will be elected by single non-transferable vote (SNTV)/First-past-the-post (FPTP) voting in 45 multi- and single-member prefectural electoral districts. The nationwide district will elect 48 members by D'Hondt proportional representation with most open lists.

Single non-transferable vote or SNTV is an electoral system used in multi-member constituency elections.

The D'Hondt method or the Jefferson method is a highest averages method for allocating seats, and is thus a type of party-list proportional representation. The method described is named in the United States after Thomas Jefferson, who introduced the method for proportional allocation of seats in the United States House of Representatives in 1791, and in Europe after Belgian mathematician Victor D'Hondt, who described it in 1878 for proportional allocation of parliamentary seats to the parties. There are two forms: closed list and an open list.

Background

The term of members elected in the 2013 regular election (including those elected in subsequent by-elections or as runners-up) ends on July 28, 2019. Under the "Public Offices Election Act" (kōshoku-senkyo-hō), the regular election must be held within 30 days before that date, or under certain conditions if the Diet is in session or scheduled to open at that time, between 24 and 30 days after the closure of the session and thus potentially somewhat after the actual end of term. [2]

Going into the election, the Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner Komeito controls a two-thirds super-majority of seats in the House of Representatives but did not control a similar super-majority of seats in the House of Councillors, necessary to initiate amendments of the Constitution of Japan.

Liberal Democratic Party (Japan) Japanese political party

The Liberal Democratic Party of Japan, frequently abbreviated to LDP or Jimintō (自民党), is a conservative political party in Japan.

Komeito, formerly called New Komeito, is a political party in Japan founded by members of the Nichiren Buddhist-based new religious movement Soka Gakkai. The party is sometimes called by its former name, Clean Government Party.

House of Representatives (Japan) lower house of Japan

The House of Representatives is the lower house of the National Diet of Japan. The House of Councillors is the upper house.

Pre-election composition

(as of March 15, 2018) [3]

↓
44326811701457
Opposition seats not upO seats upRORO upK upLDP-PJK seats upKLDP-PJK seats not up

In the class of members facing re-election, the ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Kōmeitō and Party for Japanese Kokoro (PJK) had a combined 81 of 121 seats (as of March 2018). [3] The governing coalition would have to lose 30 seats or more to forfeit its overall majority in the House of Councillors and face a technically divided Diet. However, as independents and minor opposition groups might be willing to support the government on a regular basis without inclusion in the cabinet, the losses required to face an actual divided Diet may have been much higher. If the Diet is divided after the election, the coalition's two-thirds majority in the House of Representatives can still override the House of Councillors and pass legislation, but certain Diet decisions, notably the approval of certain nominations by the cabinet such as public safety commission members or Bank of Japan governor, would require the cooperation of at least part of the opposition or an expansion of the ruling coalition.

Party for Japanese Kokoro

The Party for Japanese Kokoro, 日本のこころを大切にする党 is a Japanese political party. It was formed as the Party for Future Generations on 1 August 2014 by a group of Diet members led by Shintarō Ishihara. The party adopted its current name in December 2015.

Bank of Japan the central bank of Japan

The Bank of Japan is the central bank of Japan. The bank is often called Nichigin (日銀) for short. It has its headquarters in Chūō, Tokyo.

Among the members facing re-election were House of Councillors President Chuichi Date (LDP, Hokkaido), Kōmeitō leader Natsuo Yamaguchi (K, Tokyo) and Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Hiroshige Seko (LDP, Wakayama).

Chuichi Date Japanese politician

Chuichi Date is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party and a member of the House of Councillors in the Diet. A native of Ashibetsu, Hokkaido and high school graduate, he was elected to the House of Councillors for the first time in 2001 after serving in the prefectural assembly of Hokkaidō. He is the current President of the House of Councillors.

The Hokkaido at-large district is a constituency of the House of Councillors in the Diet of Japan. It consists of the prefecture (dō) of Hokkai[dō] and is currently represented by five Councillors electing three at a time every three years by single non-transferable vote for six-year terms. In the election period from 2016 to 2019, Hokkaido's Councillors are:

Natsuo Yamaguchi Japanese politician

Natsuo Yamaguchi is a Japanese politician of the Komeito party and a member of the House of Councillors in the National Diet of Japan.

District reapportionment

The following districts saw a change in their representation within the House at this election. One set of reforms were introduced in 2012 and first took effect at the 2013 election. The districts below are affected by the 2015 reforms, which started to take effect in the 2016 election.

In May 2018, the government announced that they are planning to introduce a revision into the Public Offices Election Law before the 2019 election. The proposed changes will increase the number seats in the House by 6, 2 seats in the Saitama at-large district and 4 in the national PR block. As Saitama currently has the highest voters-to-councillor ratio, the increase would reduce its ratio gap with the least populous district (below the constitutional 3 to 1 limit). Meanwhile the seat increase in the PR block is aimed to address the absence of representation of prefectures in the merged-prefecture districts (namely Tottori-Shimane and Tokushima-Kōchi) and popular discontent in those prefectures. The plan will also introduce a ranking system for the PR lists. This would essentially change it from a most open list system into a less open list system, mirroring the one used in the House of Representatives elections. To reduce the chance of the non-representation of a prefecture, candidates from prefectures not running in the merged districts will be prioritised on the list. [4]

Under the plan, the new Saitama seat and two new PR seats would be contested in 2019, while the other three would be contested in 2022.

District Magnitude Notes
Hokkaidō 3Increased from 2
Miyagi 1Decreased from 2
Tokyo 6Increased from 5
Niigata 1Decreased from 2
Nagano 1Decreased from 2
Aichi 4Increased from 3
Hyogo 3Increased from 2
Tottori-Shimane 1Created from the merger of the single-member Tottori and Shimane districts
Tokushima-Kōchi 1Created from the merger of the single-member Tokushima and Kochi districts
Fukuoka 3Increased from 2


Related Research Articles

Fukuoka at-large district is a constituency of the House of Councillors in the Diet of Japan. It consists of the entire prefecture of Fukuoka and is represented by four Councillors electing two per election by single non-transferable vote.

The Yamaguchi at-large district is a constituency of the House of Councillors in the Diet of Japan. It consists of the entire prefecture of Yamaguchi and is represented by two Councillors electing one every three years.

The Okinawa at-large district is a constituency of the House of Councillors in the Diet of Japan. It consists of the entire prefecture of Okinawa and was created in 1970 following the agreement between US president Richard Nixon and prime minister Eisaku Satō on restoration of Japanese sovereignty over the Ryūkyū islands. Okinawa is represented by two Councillors electing one every three years.

Tochigi at-large district is a constituency of the House of Councillors in the Diet of Japan. It consists of Tochigi Prefecture and elects two Councillors, one per election.

The Kagawa at-large district is a constituency of the House of Councillors in the Diet of Japan. It consists of Kagawa Prefecture and elects two Councillors, one every three years by a first-past-the-post system for a six-year term. In the first election in 1947, Kagawa like all districts used single non-transferable vote to elect both its Councillors in one election.

Tokushima at-large district is a constituency of the House of Councillors in the Diet of Japan. It consists of Tokushima Prefecture and elects two Councillors, one every three years by a first-past-the-post system for a six-year term. In the first election in 1947, Tokushima like all districts used single non-transferable vote to elect both its Councillors in one election.

The Nagasaki at-large district is a constituency of the House of Councillors in the Diet of Japan. It consists of Nagasaki Prefecture and elects two Councillors, one every three years by a first-past-the-post system for a six-year term. In the first election in 1947, Nagasaki like all districts used single non-transferable vote to elect both its Councillors in one election.

The Aichi at-large district is a constituency of the House of Councillors in the Diet of Japan that represents Aichi Prefecture. From 1947 until 2013 it has elected six Councillors, three every three years by single non-transferable vote (SNTV) for six-year terms. A 2015 revision of the Public Officers Election Law increased the district's representation to eight Councillors; the change began to take effect at the 2016 election, at which four Councillors were elected.

Hyogo 11th district is a constituency of the House of Representatives in the Diet of Japan. It is located in Southwestern Hyōgo and is based on the 1995 borders of the city of Himeji; the former towns of Ieshima, Yumesaki, Kōdera and Yasutomi that merged into Himeji in 2006 are part of the 12th district. As of September 2015, 387,509 eligible voters were registered in the district.

The Nagano at-large district is a multi-member constituency of the House of Councillors in the Diet of Japan. It consists of Nagano Prefecture and elects four Councillors, two every three years by single non-transferable vote (SNTV) for six-year terms.

The Iwate at-large district is a constituency of the House of Councillors in the Diet of Japan. It consists of Iwate Prefecture and elects two Councillors, one every three years, making it one of the decisive single-member districts.

Saitama at-large district is a three-member constituency of the House of Councillors, the upper house of the national Diet of Japan. It consists of Saitama and elects three Councillors for six-year terms every three years by single non-transferable vote.

Yamaguchi 4th district

Yamaguchi 4th district is a single-member electoral district for the House of Representatives, the lower house of the National Diet of Japan. It is located in Western Yamaguchi and consists of the cities of Shimonoseki and Nagato. As of September 2011, 266,456 voters were registered in the district, giving its voters well above average vote weight. Unlike many prefectures where the capital is also the most populous city, Yamaguchi's major city is Shimonoseki, located at the western tip of Honshū and part of the Fukuoka-Kitakyūshū metropolitan area.

2016 Japanese House of Councillors election

The 24th regular election of members of the House of Councillors was held on Sunday 10 July 2016 to elect 121 of the 242 members of the House of Councillors, the upper house of the 717-member bicameral National Diet of Japan, for a term of six years. As a result of the election, the LDP/Komeito coalition gained ten seats for a total of 146, the largest coalition achieved since the size of the house was set at 242 seats.

The Hyogo at-large district is a constituency that represents Hyogo Prefecture in the House of Councillors in the Diet of Japan. It currently has five Councillors in the 242-member house, but this representation will increase to six by July 2019.

The Tottori-Shimane at-large district is a constituency of the House of Councillors in the Diet of Japan. It was formed pursuant to a 2015 revision of the Public Officers Election Law from a merger of the Tottori and Shimane at-large districts, the two smallest districts in the country, to address the imbalance in representation between rural and urban voters. The district has 1,068,348 registered voters and was contested for the first time at the House of Councillors election that was held on 10 July 2016.

The Miyagi at-large district is a constituency that represents Miyagi Prefecture in the House of Councillors in the Diet of Japan. It currently has three Councillors in the 242-member house, but this representation will decrease to two at the next election, to be held by July 2019.

The Saga at-large district is a constituency that represents Saga Prefecture in the House of Councillors in the Diet of Japan. Councillors are elected to the house by single non-transferable vote (SNTV) for six-year terms. Since the establishment of the current House of Councillors electoral system in 1947, the district has elected two Councillors, one each at elections held every three years. It has 679,289 registered voters as of September 2015.

The Niigata at-large district is a constituency that represents Niigata Prefecture in the House of Councillors in the Diet of Japan. It currently has three Councillors in the 242-member house, but this representation will decrease to two by July 2019.

References

  1. ↑ Sole leader since 4 September 2018.
  2. ↑ e-gov legal database: 公職選挙法, chapter 5 (election dates), article 32 (regular elections)
  3. 1 2 House of Councillors: Members Strength of the Political Groups in the House (only caucus totals and female members; full Japanese version partitioned by class/end of term and election segment 会派別所属議員数一覧)
  4. ↑ Hisanaga, Ryuichi (29 May 2018). "LDP compiles plan to revise Upper House election system". Asahi Shimbun . Retrieved 30 May 2018.
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