“Voting and the Upcoming Japanese Election”

 

 

Craig Mark

 

　　Since the 1947 Constitution was implemented after the Pacific War, all Japanese citizens have enjoyed the right to vote, which is a core value of all modern liberal democracies. A national election for the lower House of Representatives of Japan’s Diet will soon be held, as its four-year term is nearing its end.

 

　　Under the requirements of the constitution, the election must take place by November 28, but it may be called earlier at the discretion of the prime minister, possibly for October 31, on Halloween? It is more likely though to be held in the first half of November.

 

　　The House of Representatives comprises 465 seats, made up of 289 single-member constituencies, and 176 seats in 11 multi-member constituencies.

　　For the single-member seats, a ‘first past the post’ electoral system is used, where the first candidate to get a simple majority, or has the highest number of votes, is elected. For the multi-member constituencies, members are decided by proportional representation of the votes received for each party.

 

　　Voters therefore need to fill out two ballot papers in the election: one candidate of their choice for their local single-member electorate, and one from a party list of candidates for their multi-member region. This can often mean that Diet members reach office without being the choice of the majority in the population, particularly if there is a low voter turnout.

 

　　Japan’s electoral system also tends to favor the larger political parties, such as the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, which currently has 278 seats, and its coalition partner Komeito, which has 29. The main opposition party, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, currently has 115 seats, and the Japanese Communist Party holds 12. Other parties include the Japan Innovation Party, with 11 seats, and the Democratic Party For the People, with 10; the remaining 10 seats are held by Independents. A majority of 233 seats are required for a political party or coalition of parties to form government.

 

　　Other democracies, such as in Australia, Ireland, and New Zealand, use an alternative ‘preferential’ system, where voters number candidates in order of their preferred choice. Using this system, if no candidate wins a simple majority, then exhausted preferences for unsuccessful candidates are redistributed, until the winner who receives the highest number of preferential votes is selected. This system gives smaller parties and independents a greater chance to gain representation in parliament.

 

　　In some countries such as Argentina, Austria, Australia, Chile, Greece, Italy, Switzerland, and Uruguay, voting is compulsory, and citizens may be fined if they do not vote. For most democracies, including the UK, the USA, and Japan, voting is voluntary, which can mean the turnout may be low, if people do not bother to participate. In the last lower house election on October 22, 2017, the turnout was only 53.68%.

 

　　Since 2016, the electoral law was changed so people 18 and over can vote. So, young people, including all university students, have the chance to participate in deciding their elected representatives, who debate the policies of the government, which directly affects our daily lives. It is important for all citizens in a democracy to educate themselves about the policy positions of the political parties and their candidates during an election campaign, so they can make a well-informed decision on election day.