ELECTIONS HELD IN 1992
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| Chamber: | |
| Sangiin | |
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| 26 July 1992 | |
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| Elections were held for one-half (126) of the seats in the House of Councillors on the normal expiry of the members’ term of office. | |
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| In the 1992 general elections for the House of Councillors, there was a total of 640 candidates – 329 candidates from 38 parties under the proportional representation system and 311 candidates in the local electoral districts. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), led by Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa, was once again mainly challenged by the Social Democratic Party (SDPJ), headed by Mr. Makoto Tanabe. Outstanding issues during the 18-day campaign included the Kyowa corruption case, the Sagawa Kyubin scandal (company donations in return for political favours), political reform, agricultural problems including the rice issue, and the economy. The last question was especially stressed by the LDP.
Voters turnout on polling day was the lowest for any Councillors election; observers attributed this to the summer vacation period as well as to a general lack of voter enthusiasm for politics. With the Government’s standing improved after the successful passage, the previous month, of legislation on international peace-keeping (allowing Japanese forces to participate in overseas missions conducted under the auspices of the United Nations) and with the opposition divided, the centre-right LDP performed better than expected. Although it lost six seats held, the LDP gained 67 of the total stake (of which it was defending 75) – a significant improvement over the disastrous showing in July 1989 when the Party surrendered its majority position in the House. The only other overall winner, among the traditional parties, was Komeito, led by Mr. Koshiro Ishida. On the other hand, the SDPJ lost all single-member constituencies it contested (as opposed to the LDP, which won 24 of the 25). In this context, LDP and its centrist allies (Komeito and the Democratic Socialist Party) could put together a working majority, and Mr. Miyazawa remained Prime Minister. |
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STATISTICS
| Round no 1 (26 July 1992): Elections results (local seats) | |
| Number of registered electors | 93,254,025 |
| Voters | 47,294,678 (50.71%) |
| Valid votes | 45,383,208 |
| Round no 1 (26 July 1992): Elections results (proportional seats) | |
| Number of registered electors | 93,254,025 |
| Voters | 47,278,359 (50.69%) |
| Valid votes | 44,948,701 |
| Round no 1: Distribution of votes (local seats) | |||
| Political Group | Candidates | Votes | % |
| Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) | 55 | 19,711,047 | 43.43 |
| Social Democratic Party of Japan (SDJP)* | 18 | 5,846,238 | 12.88 |
| Komeito (Clean Government Party) | 6 | 3,550,060 | 7.82 |
| Japanese Communist Party (JPC) | 46 | 4,817,001 | 10.61 |
| Democratic Socialist Party (DSP) | 3 | 1,039,979 | 2.29 |
| Niin Club | - | - | - |
| Sports Peace Party | - | - | - |
| Japan New Party | - | - | - |
| Other groups | 28 | 5,273,394 | 11.62 |
| Independents | 39 | 4,445,795 | 9.80 |
| Round no 1: Distribution of votes (proportional representation seats) | |||
| Political Group | Candidates | Votes | % |
| Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) | 27 | 14,961,199 | 33.29 |
| Social Democratic Party of Japan (SDJP)* | 25 | 7,981,726 | 17.76 |
| Komeito (Clean Government Party) | 17 | 6,415,503 | 14.27 |
| Japanese Communist Party (JPC) | 25 | 3,532,956 | 7.86 |
| Democratic Socialist Party (DSP) | 17 | 2,255,423 | 5.02 |
| Niin Club | 10 | 1,321,639 | 2.94 |
| Sports Peace Party | 10 | 1,375,791 | 3.06 |
| Japan New Party | 16 | 3,617,235 | 8.05 |
| Other groups | 9 | 671,594 | 1.49 |
| Independents | - | - | - |
| Round no 1: Distribution of seats | ||||
| Political Group | Total | Seats 1992 | Local seats | Proportional |
| Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) | 108 | 67 | 48 | 19 |
| Social Democratic Party of Japan (SDJP)* | 69 | 22 | 12 | 10 |
| Komeito (Clean Government Party) | 24 | 14 | 6 | 8 |
| Japanese Communist Party (JPC) | 11 | 6 | 2 | 4 |
| Democratic Socialist Party (DSP) | 7 | 4 | 1 | 3 |
| Niin Club | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Sports Peace Party | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Japan New Party | 4 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Other groups | 15 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Independents | 6 | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| Comments: | |
| * Known as the Socialist Party of Japan until 1991. Plus two vacancies. |
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| Distribution of seats according to sex: | |
| Men: | 215 |
| Women: | 37 |
| Distribution of seats according to age: | ||
| 30-39 years | 2 | |
| 40-49 years | 40 | |
| 50-59 years | 78 | |
| 60-69 years | 105 | |
| 70 and over | 27 | |
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| Clerks or directors of associations or organisations | 63 | |
| Former local assemblymen | 47 | |
| Former public officials | 45 | |
| Lawyers | 19 | |
| Educational sector | 15 | |
| Journalists | 13 | |
| Clerks, directors of corporations | 13 | |
| Former Governors | 9 | |
| Arts, cultural sector | 7 | |
| Doctors, pharmacists | 6 | |
| Former secretaries of Diet members | 5 | |
| Sportsmen | 3 | |
| Writers | 3 | |
| Agriculture, forestry, fisheries sector | 2 | |
| Religious sector | 2 | |
Copyright © 1992 Inter-Parliamentary Union