2016 Japanese House of Councillors election

← 2013 July 10, 2016 2019 →
121 of the 242 seats in theHouse of Councillors 122 seats needed for a majority
First party Second party Third party   Leader Shinzō Abe Katsuya Okada Natsuo Yamaguchi Party LDP Democratic Komeito Last election 115 seats 68[a] 20 seats Seats won 55 32 14 Seats after 121 49 25 Seat change 6 19 5 Constituency vote 22,590,793 14,215,956 4,263,422 % and swing 39.94% (2.80pp) 25.14% (1.60pp) 7.54% (2.41pp) National vote 20,114,788 11,751,015 7,572,960 % and swing 35.91% (1.23pp) 20.98% (4.36pp) 13.52% (0.70pp)   Fourth party Fifth party   Leader Kazuo Shii Ichiro Matsui Toranosuke Katayama Party JCP Ishin Last election 11 seats Did not exist Seats won 6 7 Seats after 14 12 Seat change 3 New Constituency vote 4,103,514 3,303,419 % and swing 7.26% (3.38pp) 5.84% (New) National vote 6,016,195 5,153,584 % and swing 10.74% (1.06pp) 9.20% (New)
Constituency and proportional representation results
President of the House of Councillors before election Masaaki Yamazaki LDP ElectedPresident of the House of Councillors Chūichi Date LDP

House of Councillors elections were held inJapan on Sunday 10 July 2016 to elect 121 of the 242 members of theupper house of theNational Diet, for a term of six years. As a result of the election, theLiberal Democratic Party–Komeito coalition gained ten seats for a total of 145 (60% of all seats in the house), the largest coalition achieved since the size of the house was set at 242 seats.^[1]

76 members were elected bysingle non-transferable vote (SNTV) andfirst-past-the-post (FPTP) voting in 45 multi- and single-member prefectural electoral districts; for the first time, there were two combined (gōku) single-member districts consisting of two prefectures each,Tottori-Shimane andTokushima-Kōchi. This change and several other reapportionments were part of an electoral reform law passed by the Diet in July 2015 designed to reduce the maximum ratio of malapportionment in the House of Councillors below 3.^[2][3] The nationwide district which elects 48 members byD'Hondt proportional representation withmost open lists remained unchanged.

The elections were the first national election after the 2015 change to the Public Offices Election Act, which allowed people from 18 years of age to vote in national, prefectural and municipal elections and in referendums. The legal voting age prior to the change was 20.^[4]

The term of members elected in the2010 regular election (including those elected in subsequent by-elections or as runners-up) ends on July 25, 2016. 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.^[5] The election date was July 10 with the deadline for nominations and the start of legal campaigning 18 days before the election (i.e. June 22).^[6]

Prior to the election, theLiberal Democratic Party and its coalition partnerKomeito controlled a two-thirds super-majority of seats in theHouse of Representatives but did not control a similar super-majority of seats in the House of Councillors, necessary to initiate amendments of theConstitution of Japan.^[7] In order to deny a super-majority to the LDP and other pro-amendment parties, the parties opposed to amending the constitution (Democratic Party,Japanese Communist Party,Social Democratic Party andPeople's Life Party) agreed to field a single candidate in each single-seat district, leading to a number of one-on-one races between the LDP and an opposition candidate (most of which the LDP ultimately won).^[8] Prime MinisterShinzo Abe, historically a vocal proponent of constitutional revision, generally avoided discussing the constitution during the campaign, instead focusing on his "Abenomics" economic policies.^[9]

On the eve of the election,Gerald Curtis described the race as "one of the dullest in recent memory", pointing out that "never in Japan's postwar history has the political opposition been as enfeebled as it is now... That's why widespread public disappointment with the government's economic policies hasn't hurt Mr. Abe politically. The prevailing sentiment is that he has done better than his predecessors, and replacing him with another LDP leader, let alone an opposition coalition government, would only make matters worse—especially now that the global economy is in turmoil."^[10]

As of the official announcement (kōji, the candidate registration deadline and when the campaign starts) on 22 June (count byYomiuri Shimbun):^[11]

In the class of members facing re-election, the ruling coalition of theLiberal Democratic Party (LDP) andKōmeitō had a combined 60 of 121 seats, slightly short of a majority (as of June 2016).^[12] The main oppositionDemocratic Party held 47 seats.^[12] As the coalition held 77 seats not being contested at this election, they only needed to retain 44 seats in the election to maintain their majority in the House. The LDP, which held 117 seats alone, had to gain five seats to reach a majority of its own and make the coalition with Kōmeitō unnecessary. In the other direction, the governing coalition would have to lose 16 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 were divided after the election, the coalition's two-thirds majority in the House of Representatives could 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.

Among the members facing re-election were House of Councillors PresidentMasaaki Yamazaki (LDP,Fukui), Vice PresidentAzuma Koshiishi (DPJ,Yamanashi),Justice MinisterMitsuhide Iwaki (LDP,Fukushima) andOkinawa and Science MinisterAiko Shimajiri (LDP,Okinawa).

The election gave a two-thirds super-majority in the upper house to the four parties in favor of constitutional revision. After the election, Abe publicly acknowledged that constitutional revision would be "not so easy" and said "I expect the discussion will be deepened." The Chinese government voiced concern about the result, while South Korean newspaperMunhwa Ilbo opined that the election results "opened the door for a Japan that can go to war."^[9]

Abe announced a majoreconomic stimulus package following the election, leading to a spike in the Japanese stock markets.^[13]

The following districts saw a change in their representation within the House at this election. One set of reforms was introduced in 2012 and first took effect at the 2013 election; the districts affected by the 2015 reforms are shaded.

A record 28 women won seats in the compared to 26 in 2007 and 22 in 2013.^[32] Among them, actressJunko Mihara won a seat representingKanagawa Prefecture for the LDP.^[33]

Yoshimi Watanabe, former leader ofYour Party, returned to the Diet in this election, winning a seat as part ofOsaka Ishin no Kai.^[34] Justice ministerMitsuhide Iwaki lost his seat inFukushima Prefecture to an opposition-supported candidate.^[35]Aiko Shimajiri, state minister for Okinawan affairs, lost her seat to formerGinowan, Okinawa mayorYoichi Iha, a critic of the US military presence in Okinawa supported by a coalition of opposition parties. This was viewed by some analysts as a setback for the proposedrelocation of Marine Corps Air Station Futenma.^[35][36] Former Olympic volleyball playerKentaro Asahi won a seat representing theTokyo at-large district for the LDP.^[37] On the same day, journalistSatoshi Mitazono defeated incumbentYuichiro Ito in a gubernatorial election inKagoshima Prefecture. Mitazono campaigned on a platform focused on suspension of theSendai Nuclear Power Plant.^[38]

Party		National			Constituency			Seats
		Votes	%	Seats	Votes	%	Seats	Not up	Won	Total after	+/–
	Liberal Democratic Party	20,114,788	35.91	19	22,590,793	39.94	36	65	55	120	+5
	Democratic Party	11,751,015	20.98	11	14,215,956	25.14	21	17	32	49	–19
	Komeito	7,572,960	13.52	7	4,263,422	7.54	7	11	14	25	+5
	Japanese Communist Party	6,016,195	10.74	5	4,103,514	7.26	1	8	6	14	+3
	Initiatives from Osaka	5,153,584	9.20	4	3,303,419	5.84	3	5	7	12	New
	Social Democratic Party	1,536,239	2.74	1	289,899	0.51	0	1	1	2	–1
	People's Life Party	1,067,301	1.91	1				1	1	2	0
	Party for Japanese Kokoro	734,024	1.31	0	535,517	0.95	0	3	0	3	New
	Shiji Seitō Nashi	647,072	1.16	0	127,367	0.23	0	0	0	0	New
	New Renaissance Party	580,653	1.04	0	60,431	0.11	0	0	0	0	–1
	Angry Voice of the People	466,706	0.83	0	82,357	0.15	0	0	0	0	New
	Happiness Realization Party	366,815	0.65	0	963,585	1.70	0	0	0	0	0
	Genzei Nippon				218,171	0.39	0	0	0	0	0
	Ishin Seito Shimpu				42,858	0.08	0	0	0	0	0
	World Economic Community Party				6,114	0.01	0	0	0	0	0
	Katsuko Inumaru and the Republican Party				5,388	0.01	0	0	0	0	New
	World Peace Party				3,854	0.01	0	0	0	0	New
	Challenged Japan				3,296	0.01	0	0	0	0	New
	Assembly to Energize Japan							2	0	2	New
	Okinawa Social Mass Party							1	0	1	0
	Independents				5,739,452	10.15	5	7	5	12	+9
Total		56,007,352	100.00	48	56,555,393	100.00	73	121	121	242	0
Valid votes		56,007,830	96.43		56,555,393	97.35
Invalid/blank votes		2,075,189	3.57		1,537,385	2.65
Total votes		58,083,019	100.00		58,092,778	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		106,202,873	54.69		106,202,873	54.70
Source:Ministry of Internal Communications,Yomiuri Shimbun

Abbreviations and translations used in this table for (nominating – endorsing) parties:

• L –Liberal Democratic Party
• D –Democratic Party
• K –Komeito
• C -Japanese Communist Party
• S –Social Democratic Party
• I – Independent
• Osaka Ishin –Initiatives from Osaka
• PLP –People's Life Party
• Kokoro –Party for Japanese Kokoro
• AEJ –Assembly to Energize Japan
• NRP –New Renaissance Party
• NPD –New Party Daichi
• SSN –Shiji Seitō Nashi
• Angry Voice of the People
• HRP –Happiness Realization Party

Wikimedia Commons has media related toJapanese House of Councillors election, 2016.

• Major party nominations
  • LDP: Candidate nominations for the 24th Councillors elections:national proportional,prefectural district direct election,endorsed
  • Democratic Party:Candidate nominations for upcoming elections:24th Councillors election proportional,direct election incl. endorsed48th Representatives election
  • Kōmeitō:Manifesto and candidates for the 2016 Councillors election
  • Communist Party:Candidate nominations for the 24th Councillors election (both tiers)
  • Initiatives from Osaka:Candidate nominations for the 24th Councillors election (both tiers)

• 2016 elections in Asia
• 2016 elections in Japan
• House of Councillors (Japan) elections
• July 2016 in Japan

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