Japanese House of Councillors election, 2007
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The 21st Elections to the House of Councillors (第21回参議院議員通常選挙 Dainijūikkai Sangiingiin Tsūjōsenkyo?) for the upper house of the legislature of Japan were held on July 29, 2007.[1][2] This was the first time Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had faced an election. The date was originally to be 22 July, but the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) decided in mid-June to extend the session of the House for a week to finish up legislative business; this step was criticised due to the short-term delay.[3]
The House of Councillors consists of 242 members who serve six-year terms. Approximately half the members are elected every three years. The last election took place in 2004 when Junichiro Koizumi, Abe's predecessor, was in office.
The house ended its 166th session on July 5, 2007, marking the unofficial beginning of campaign. The official campaign began on July 12.[4]
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[edit] Background
The DPJ had 79 seats (82 including shin-ryokufukai) after the 2004 Upper House elections, winning 50 out of the 121 up for election, gaining 12, compared to the LDP's 49. As of February 17, 2007, the DPJ held 82 seats to the LDP's 111.
Ichirō Ozawa, the leader of the DPJ, addressed a workers' May Day rally in Yoyogi Park on April 28, 2007 setting out the party's agenda for the election. He pledged that the key policy areas would be an end to 'self-righteous' government, pension and medical reforms, and that the DPJ would 'stand in the shoes of workers, residents, and taxpayers'.
Reports throughout 2007 showed Shinzo Abe's approval ratings falling[5], and public support for the DPJ's position on the recent pension scandal.[6] Several other scandals right up until the start of official campaigning did not improve the outlook for the LDP. [1]
[edit] Political issues
- Loss of records for millions of payments in the national pension system.
- Series of gaffes by cabinet members, the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare Hakuo Yanagisawa and the Minister of Defense Fumio Kyuma, who later resigned.
- Financial scandals of two Ministers of Agriculture, Toshikatsu Matsuoka, who later committed suicide, and his successor Norihiko Akagi, who resigned after the election.
[edit] Results
Results of the Japanese House of Councillors election, 2007
According to results by NHK, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party lost its majority in the Upper House. Meanwhile, DPJ managed to gain the largest margin since its formation in 1996.[7] LDP's coalition partner New Komeito lost 3 of its twelve seats.[8][9] Although the opposition has made it clear that they intend to officially ask for Abe's resignation, he vowed to "continue pitching" for leadership. [10]
Most of the candidates who received international coverage were defeated in the elections - including Alberto Fujimori, Kaori Tahara, Kanako Otsuji, Yoshiro Nakamatsu, and Yuko Tojo. [11] Notable candidates who were elected included iconoclastic former Nagano governor Yasuo Tanaka, who achieved one seat for his own New Party Nippon, and ethnic Finn Marutei Tsurunen, who was re-elected with the sixth-highest vote count on the DPJ party list.
[edit] Summary
| Parties | Proportional votes | % | Prefectural seats 2007 | Proportional seats 2007 | Not up | +/– | Elected in 2007 | Total seats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) Minshutō | 23,256,242 | 39.5 | 40 | 20 | 49 | +11 | 60 | 109 |
| Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Jiyū Minshutō | 16,544,696 | 28.1 | 23 | 14 | 46 | –9 | 37 | 83 |
| New Komeito Party (NKP) Shin Kōmeitō | 7,762,324 | 13.2 | 2 | 7 | 11 | –2 | 9 | 20 |
| Japanese Communist Party (JCP) Nihon Kyōsantō | 4,407,937 | 7.5 | 0 | 3 | 4 | –1 | 3 | 7 |
| Social Democratic Party (SDP) Shakai Minshutō | 2,637,716 | 4.5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | –1 | 2 | 5 |
| People's New Party (PNP) Kokumin Shintō | 1,269,220 | 2.2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| New Party Nippon (NPN) Shintō Nippon | 1,770,697 | 3.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | +1 | 1 | 1 |
| Others | 1,264,841 | 2.1 | 7 | 0 | 6 | +6 | 7 | 13 |
| Total | 121 | 121 | 242 | |||||
| Source: [3] | ||||||||
[edit] References
- ^ a b Japan News Review - Upper House election campaigning sees official kick off
- ^ Abe has high hopes for Diet session | The Japan Times Online
- ^ [1]
- ^ [2]
- ^ Support for Abe falls below 40% | The Japan Times Online
- ^ Abe approval rating hits all-time low
- ^ NHK ONLINE English
- ^ The polls are in: Historical loss for Abe, LDP, opposition grabs overwhelming majority, Japan News Review
- ^ NHK ONLINE English
- ^ Abe on precarious foothold, opposition demands resignation
- ^ Fujimori, Ainu, Lesbian, inventor and Tojo’s granddaughter all defeated in election
[edit] Other elections in Japan
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