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JAPAN

COUNTRY	Japan
ELECTION TYPE	Parliamentary (Lower House/ House of Representatives)
DATE	September 11, 2005

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At stake in this election:

Description of government structure:

Chief of State: Emperor AKIHITO
Head of Government: Prime Minister Junichiro KOIZUMI
Assembly: Japan has a bicameral Diet (Kokkai) consisting of the House of Councilors (Sangi-in) with 242 seats and the House of Representatives (Shugi-in) with 480 seats.

Description of electoral system:

The monarch is hereditary.
In the House of Councilors (Sangi-in), 144 members are elected in multi-seat constituencies and 98 by proportional representation; all serve six-year terms. In the House of Representatives (Shugi-in), 300 members are elected in single-seat constituencies and 180 members by proportional representation in 11 regional blocs; all serve four-year terms.

Results of the electoral race:

Party: Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) / Jiyuminshuto
Leader: Junichiro KOIZUMI
Seats won in this election: 296
Seats won in last election: 237
Party: Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) / Minshuto
Leader: Katsuya OKADA
Seats won in this election: 113
Seats won in last election: 177
Party: New Clean Government Party / New Komeito
Leader: Takenori KANZAKI
Seats won in this election: 31
Seats won in last election: 34
Party: Japan Communist Party (JCP) / Nihon Kyosanto
Leader: Kazuo SHII
Seats won in this election: 9
Seats won in last election: 9
Party: Social Democratic Party of Japan (SDP) / Shakai Minshuto
Leader: Mizuho FUKUSHIMA
Seats won in this election: 7
Seats won in last election: 6
Party: People's New Party / Kokumin Shinto
Leader: Tamisuke WATANUKI
Seats won in this election: 4
Seats won in last election: NA
Party: New Party Japan / Shinto Nippon
Leader: Yasuo TANAKA
Seats won in this election: 1
Seats won in last election: NA
Party: New Party, Big Land / Shinto Daichi
Leader: Muneo SUZUKI
Seats won in this election: 1
Seats won in last election: NA

When was the last election?

The last parliamentary election for the House of Representatives was held on November 9, 2003.

Population and number of registered voters:

Of interest:

On August 8, Prime Minister Junichiro KOIZUMI called snap elections after the House of Councilors rejected his bills to privatize the country’s postal service. The same reform package had been passed earlier only with a slim margin in the House of Representatives, as 37 members of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party joined the opposition to vote against the proposed legislation.

SOURCE: INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION FOR ELECTION SYSTEMS (IFES)

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: IFES ELECTIONGUIDE ONLINE