| Parliament name (generic / translated) |
Kokkai / National Diet |
| Structure of parliament |
Bicameral |
| Chamber name (generic / translated) |
Shugiin / House of Representatives |
| Related chamber (for bicameral parliaments) |
Sangiin / House of Councillors
|
| BACKGROUND |
| Dates of election / renewal (from/to) |
16 December 2012 |
| Purpose of elections |
The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), led by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, won a resounding victory, taking 294 of the 480 seats at stake, thereby regaining power after three years in opposition. Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda's Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) saw its share of seats collapse from 308 to 57. Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Restoration Party) - a new party co-led by the former Mayors of Tokyo and Osaka - Mr. Shintaro Ishihara and Mr. Toru Hashimoto - came in third, taking 54. LDP's coalition partner New Komeito followed with 31 seats. On 26 December, Mr. Abe was elected Prime Minister.
The 2012 elections were the first to be held after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that had hit the northern part of Japan and triggered a nuclear accident in Fukushima. During the election campaign, the LDP pledged to revive the economy and pull Japan out of deflation, while maintaining nuclear energy. The DPJ pledged to work towards closing all nuclear reactors by the 2030s.
A record 1,504 candidates from 12 parties stood for election; the highest number since the introduction of single-member constituencies in 1996. The elections nevertheless saw the lowest turnout (59.32%) since World War II. |
Date of previous elections: 30 August 2009
Date of dissolution of the outgoing legislature: 16 November 2012
Timing of election: Early elections
Expected date of next elections: December 2016
Number of seats at stake: 480 (full renewal)
Number of candidates: 1,504 (1,279 men, 225 women)*
*The total number of candidates excluding double-candidacy (candidates who ran under both the majority and proportional representation systems)
Percentage of women candidates: 17.6%*
(*193 of 1,101, or 17.5% under the majority system and 144 of 1,117, or 12.9% under the proportional representation system)
Number of parties contesting the election: 12
Number of parties winning seats: 10
Alternation of power: Yes
Number of parties in government: 2
Names of parties in government: Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito
Date of the first session of the new parliament: 26 December 2012
Name of the new Speaker: Mr. Bunmei Ibuki (Liberal Democratic Party) |
| STATISTICS |
| Voter turnout |
| Round no 1 | 16 December 2012 |
Number of registered electors
Voters
Blank or invalid ballot papers
Valid votes |
103'959'866
61'669'473 (59.32%)
|
|
Notes
|
|
| Distribution of seats |
|
Round no 1
|
| Political Group |
Total
|
Majority |
Proportional |
|
|
| Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) |
294
|
237 |
57 |
|
|
| Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) |
57
|
27 |
30 |
|
|
| Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Restoration Party) |
54
|
14 |
40 |
|
|
| New Komeito |
31
|
9 |
22 |
|
|
| Your Party (Minna no To) |
18
|
4 |
14 |
|
|
| Nippon Mirai no To (Tomorrow Party of Japan) |
9
|
2 |
7 |
|
|
| Japanese Communist Party (JCP) |
8
|
0 |
8 |
|
|
| Independents |
5
|
5 |
0 |
|
|
| Social Democratic Party (SDPJ) |
2
|
1 |
1 |
|
|
| Kokumin Shinto (People's New Party) |
1
|
1 |
0 |
|
|
| Shinto Daichi (New Party Mother Earth) |
1
|
0 |
1 |
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to sex |
Men
Women
Percent of women |
442
38
7.92%
|
| Distribution of seats according to age |
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to profession |
|
|
| Comments |
Sources:
http://www.shugiin.go.jp/index.nsf/html/index_e_strength.htm
http://www.asahi.com/
http://sankei.jp.msn.com
|
Compare data for parliamentary chambers in the Last elections module
