2017 Japanese general election

2017 Japanese general election
Japan
← 2014 22 October 2017 2021 →
All 465 seats in the House of Representatives
233 seats needed for a majority
Turnout53.68% (Increase1.02pp)
Party Leader % Seats +/–
Liberal Democratic Shinzō Abe 33.28 284 −7
CDP Yukio Edano 19.88 55 New
Kibō no Tō Yuriko Koike 17.36 50 New
Komeito Natsuo Yamaguchi 12.51 29 −6
Communist Kazuo Shii 7.90 12 −9
Innovation Ichirō Matsui 6.07 11 New
Social Democratic Tadatomo Yoshida 1.69 2 0
Independents – – 22 +14
This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below.
Districts and PR districts shaded according to winners' vote strength.
Prime Minister before Prime Minister after
Shinzo Abe
Liberal Democratic		 Shinzo Abe
Liberal Democratic

General elections were held in Japan on 22 October 2017. Voting took place in all Representatives constituencies of Japan – 289 single-member districts and eleven proportional blocks – in order to appoint all 465 members (down from 475) of the House of Representatives, the lower house of the then 707-member bicameral National Diet of Japan. Incumbent Prime Minister Shinzō Abe's governing coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the Komeito party retained their seats in signs of what was perceived as weak opposition. The PM won his fourth term in office and held on to the two-thirds supermajority in order to implement policies on revising the war-renouncing Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution.[1]

The snap elections were called in the midst of the North Korea missile threat and with the largest opposition party, the Democratic Party, in disarray. Just hours before Abe's announcement of the snap election on 25 September, Governor of Tokyo Yuriko Koike launched a new conservative reformist party Kibō no Tō, the Party of Hope, which was seen as a viable alternative to the ruling coalition. It soon led to the dissolution of the Democratic Party and its party members defecting to the Kibō no Tō. However, the liberal wing of the Democratic Party, whose members Koike refused to nominate, formed the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP) led by Yukio Edano, splitting the opposition in half.[2] The elections turned into a three-way contest as the CDP joined with the Japanese Communist Party and Social Democratic Party on a common platform opposing the constitutional revision. While Kibō no Tō fell short of expectation, the CDP surged in the polls in the last days before the elections and beat Kibō no Tō to emerge as the largest opposition party.[3]

Despite being disrupted by Typhoon Lan, the elections saw a slight increase in turnout rate of 53.68 percent but still was the second lowest in postwar Japan. The lowest ever turnout was recorded in 2014.[4] They were also the first elections after the voting age was lowered from 20 to 18.[5] Abe also became the first Prime Minister to win three consecutive general elections since 1953 and the first LDP leader to do so. He became the longest-serving Prime Minister in the history of the country in August 2020, but resigned shortly after achieving this due to health issues.[6]

Background

The House of Representatives has a fixed term of four years. Under the postwar constitution drafted in 1947, the interpretation of Article 7 states that the cabinet may instruct the Emperor to dissolve the House of Representatives before the end of term at will. Elections must be held within 40 days after dissolution.[7] In June 2015, the Public Office Election Law was amended to lower the voting age from 20 to 18 years of age.[5]

As of June 2015, the largest opposition party Democratic Party of Japan was reportedly preparing a roster of up to 250 candidates so as to be prepared in the event that the next general election was to be held alongside the House of Councillors election in the summer of 2016, before it merged with the Japan Innovation Party to form the Democratic Party in March 2016.[8] The Democratic Party suffered a considerable defeat at the hands of the ruling coalition in the election, in which the Abe government took almost two-thirds of the seats.

In January 2017, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike established a new local party, Tomin First, to challenge the establishment Liberal Democratic Party in the Tokyo metropolitan election to be held in July. Tomin First won a resounding victory in the election, which came in the wake of the Moritomo Gakuen and Kake Gakuen scandals calling into question the propriety of the Abe government's decision making.[9][10] After the election, Defense Minister Tomomi Inada resigned in connection with another scandal involving the Japan Self-Defense Forces concealing evidence of a battle in South Sudan.[10] Meanwhile, the main national opposition Democratic Party was severely hurt by the resignation of its leader Renho in July, as well as several high-profile defections.[11]

The government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe began publicly discussing the possibility of an election in mid-September 2017, as the North Korea crisis was ongoing. Continuing the momentum of her Tokyo election victory, Koike announced the formation of a new national political party, Kibō no Tō (Party of Hope), on 25 September. Abe called the general election just hours later on the same day.[11] Soon after the Party of Hope was established, Democratic Party leader Seiji Maehara sought to merge with Kibō no Tō. Maehara's decision was strongly criticised by the liberal wing of the party, whose candidacies were rejected by Koike. The liberal wing surrounding the deputy president Yukio Edano announced the formation of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan on 2 October 2017.[12] Opposition politicians claim Abe called the election partly to evade further questioning in parliament over his alleged misuse of power in securing approval for a veterinary college campus in Imabari.[13]

One wedge issue between the two major coalitions is the scheduled consumption tax hike in October 2019. The LDP coalition advocates keeping the tax hike and using the funds for child care and education, while the Kibo coalition advocates freezing the tax hike.[14] Nonetheless, Koike stated on 8 October that she was open to the option of a grand coalition with the LDP.[15]

The LDP fielded 332 candidates, while Komeito fielded 53, Kibō no Tō fielded 235, and Nippon Ishin fielded 52. The Constitutional Democratic Party, Japanese Communist Party and Social Democratic Party joined forces to support a total number of 342 candidates on the common platform of opposing the revision the pacifist Article 9 of the Constitution of Japan and the new national security legislation.[16][17]

Several U.S.-Japan policy experts, including James Zumwalt and Michael Green, opined in October that the election was unlikely to have a major impact on policy as the LDP was expected to retain control; however, there was anxiety about the prospect of a leadership vacuum if Abe was eventually forced to resign as head of the LDP.[18]

Political parties and candidates

Numbers of candidates by party[16]
Party Before election Const. PR Total
LDP 290 277 313 332
Kibo 57 198 234 235
Komei 34 9 44 53
JCP 21 206 65 243
CDP 15 63 77 78
Ishin 14 47 52 52
SDP 2 19 21 21
Kokoro 0 0 2 2
Others 0 44 47 91
Ind. 39 73 – 73
Total 472 936 855 1,180
Parties Leader Ideology Seats Status
Last election Before election
Liberal Democratic Party Shinzo Abe Conservatism
291 / 465
284 / 465
 Governing coalition
Democratic Party Seiji Maehara Liberalism
73 / 465
[a]
24 / 465
 Opposition
41 / 465
[b]
Kibō no Tō Yuriko Koike Conservatism Did not exist
57 / 465
Komeito Natsuo Yamaguchi
35 / 465
34 / 465
 Governing coalition
Japanese Communist Party Kazuo Shii Communism
21 / 465
21 / 465
 Opposition
Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan Yukio Edano Liberalism Did not exist
15 / 465
Nippon Ishin no Kai Ichirō Matsui Conservatism Did not exist
14 / 465
Social Democratic Party Tadatomo Yoshida Social democracy
2 / 465
2 / 465

Ruling coalition

Koike's coalition

  • Kibō no Tō, also known as the Party of Hope, is the brand new conservative reformist party launched by Yuriko Koike, former LDP minister and incumbent Governor of Tokyo, on 25 September 2017 ahead of the general election. The new party attracted former members of the LDP as well as the conservative wing of the Democratic Party, the largest opposition party at the time, led by Seiji Maehara to join with the aims of overthrowing the Abe government.[19] Three members of the Ichirō Ozawa's Liberal Party also decided run under Koike's banner. Despite being tipped as the first Japan's woman Prime Minister, Koike has expressed no intention to run in the general election and stated that her party would not name a prime ministerial candidate during the election.[20] The party has promised to freeze the planned consumption tax increase and promote debate on the constitutional revision.[21]
  • Nippon Ishin no Kai, previously known as Initiatives from Osaka, is a Kansai-based party led by Governor of Osaka Ichirō Matsui. It split from the Japan Innovation Party in 2015. Having similar policies with Kibō no Tō, the party has agreed to cooperate with Koike in the coming election.[22]

Pacifist coalition

  • The Japanese Communist Party (JCP), the left-wing party led by Kazuo Shii, saw its recent resurgence in the 2014 House of Representative election due to its firm pacifist stance against the revision of Article 9 of the Constitution. The party currently is the second largest opposition party, holding 21 seats in the House of Representatives. The party forms an alliance with two other left-leaning parties, the Constitutional Democrats and the Social Democrats, and plans to field 243 candidates.
  • The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP), a brand new centre-left social liberal party formed by Yukio Edano on 2 October 2017 by the liberal wing of the Democratic Party, the then largest opposition party, after Kibō no Tō refused to nominate the liberal candidates of the Democratic Party when the party leader Seiji Maehara decided to join Kibō no Tō with the party.[23] The party calls for Japan to phase out nuclear power, opposes the constitutional revision and the new national security legislation with two other left-leaning opposition parties. The party plans to field 78 candidates in the coming election.
  • The Social Democratic Party (SDP) is the centre-left social democratic party led by Tadatomo Yoshida, which currently holds 2 seats in the House of Representatives. It opposes the revision of the pacifist Article 9 of the Constitution, and forms an alliance with two other left-leaning to stop the constitutional revisionists from winning a two-thirds majority.[24]

Other parties

Gender representation

Fewer than 20% of the 1,180 candidates that ran in the election were women. 9% of current elected figures are women, Japan ranks 165th out of 193 countries on this aspect.[25]

Opinion polls

Voting intention (PR blocks)

Date Polling Firm/Source LDP DP Komei JCP PJK SDP LP Ishin Kibō CDP Oth. Und. No
Answer 		Lead
17–19 Oct Yomiuri Shimbun 33 8 6 5 13 17 2 16 16
17–18 Oct Asahi Shimbun[permanent dead link] 34 7 5 1 1 4 11 13 1 23 21
14–15 Oct FNN & Sankei Shimbun 32.9 8.5 5.4 0.9 1.0 4.8 15.0 14.6 4.8 12.1 17.9
6–9 Oct Jiji Press Archived 2017-10-13 at the Wayback Machine 30.7 5.9 4.5 1.2 3.1 11.8 4.4 33.2 18.9
7–8 Oct Yomiuri Shimbun 32 5 4 0 1 3 13 7 1 27 6 19
3–4 Oct Asahi Shimbun[permanent dead link] 35 7 6 0 1 1 4 12 7 0 27 23
2 Oct Liberal wing of the Democratic Party splits to form the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan
30 Sep–1 Oct Kyodo News 24.1 4.9 4.9 0.4 0.1 0.3 2.4 14.8 0 42.8 9.3
30 Sep–1 Oct ANN Archived 2017-10-02 at the Wayback Machine 29 6 6 1 1 2 14 0 39 15
29 Sep–1 Oct Seijiyama 22.7 3.4 6.3 (Oth.) 2.1 (Oth.) 3.2 11.3 0.9 32.4 3.6 11.4
28–29 Sep Yomiuri Shimbun 34 6 5 0 1 1 2 19 0 25 7 15
28 Sep The Democratic Party dissolves and announces its candidacies under Kibō no Tō banner
26–27 Sep Asahi Shimbun[permanent dead link] 32 8 6 5 0 2 1 3 13 1 29 19
26–27 Sep Mainichi Shimbun Archived 2017-10-01 at the Wayback Machine 29 8 5 5 0 0 1 3 18 16 11
25 Sep Prime Minister Shinzō Abe announces his intention to seek a general election to be held on 22 October 2017
25 Sep Governor of Tokyo Yuriko Koike launches the party Kibō no Tō
23–24 Sep Kyodo News 27.0 8.0 4.6 3.5 0 0.3 0.1 2.2 6.2 42.2 19
22–24 Sep The Nikkei & TV Tokyo[c] 44 8 3 5 0 1 1 3 8 5 20 24

Voting intention (districts)

Date Polling Firm/Source LDP DP Komei JCP PJK SDP LP Ishin Kibō CDP Oth. Ind. Und.
+ No
Answer 		Lead
17–18 Oct Asahi Shimbun[permanent dead link] 33 3 4 1 2 9 7 0 2 39 24
3–4 Oct Asahi Shimbun[permanent dead link] 31 4 4 0 0 1 2 10 4 0 0 44 21
26–27 Sep Asahi Shimbun Archived 2017-10-03 at the Wayback Machine 31 9 3 4 0 1 0 2 6 1 1 42 22
23–24 Sep Kyodo News 28.1 6.4 3.8 - - - - - 6.6 - - - 21.5

Party approval

Date Polling Firm/Source LDP DP Komei JCP PJK SDP LP Ishin Kibō CDP Oth. No
party 		Und.
+ No
Answer 		Lead
17–19 Oct The Nikkei 41 11 13 11 28
17–18 Oct Asahi Shimbun[permanent dead link] 32 1 4 3 0 1 0 2 6 7 1 27 16 5
14–15 Oct FNN 34.5 0.7 5.4 3.6 0.2 0.5 0.0 3.3 9.5 11.6 1.5 27.9 1.3 6.6
14–15 Oct JNN 32.8 1.2 3.8 3.2 0.1 0.5 0.1 1.8 5.2 7.3 0.8 38.1 5.3 5.3
13–15 Oct NHK 32.8 1.0 4.3 3.4 0.1 0.6 0.2 1.7 5.4 6.6 34.0 1.2
10–11 Oct The Nikkei 39 5 5 0 1 3 13 11 11 28
7–9 Oct NHK 31.2 1.6 3.8 2.7 0.0 0.5 0.0 1.3 4.8 4.4 0.4 39.1 10.0 7.9
6–9 Oct Jiji Press Archived 2017-10-13 at the Wayback Machine 23.9 1.6 3.6 2.5 0.1 0.2 0.0 1.4 2.6 2.7 57.2 33.3
7–8 Oct Yomiuri Shimbun 33 1 3 3 0 0 1 8 4 0 38 8 5
3–4 Oct Asahi Shimbun[permanent dead link] 30 2 5 2 0 0 0 1 5 3 1 30 21 Tied
30 Sep – 1 Oct ANN Archived 2017-10-02 at the Wayback Machine 39.6 7.1 4.6 5.8 1.9 0.6 2.8 9.6 0.0 28.0 11.6
29 Sep – 1 Oct NHK 30.8 3.9 3.8 3.3 0.6 0.3 1.0 5.4 40.4 9.6
28–29 Sep Yomiuri Shimbun 32 4 4 3 0 0 1 9 0 40 7 8
26–27 Sep Asahi Shimbun[permanent dead link] 31 6 4 3 0 1 0 1 3 1 32 18 1
26–27 Sep Mainichi Shimbun Archived 2017-10-01 at the Wayback Machine 28 5 4 4 0 0 1 2 13 1 39 11
22–24 Sep The Nikkei & TV Tokyo 44 7 3 5 0 1 0 2 0 32 6 12
16–17 Sep ANN Archived 2017-10-02 at the Wayback Machine 46.2 11.3 3.5 5.7 0.0 0.8 0.3 1.8 1.4 29.0 17.2
8–11 Sep Jiji Press Archived 2017-09-17 at the Wayback Machine 23.7 4.3 4.9 1.3 0.0 0.1 0.0 1.0 62.9 39.2
8–10 Sep NHK 37.7 6.7 3.1 2.6 0.0 0.5 0.3 1.1 0.2 40.8 7.1 3.1
8–10 Sep Yomiuri Shimbun 40 5 3 3 0 0 1 0 45 2 5
25-27 Aug The Nikkei & TV Tokyo 41 7 3 4 0 1 0 2 1 36 5 5
19-20 Aug FNN 33.0 6.9 3.1 3.9 0.2 0.8 1.0 2.9 3.2 44.6 0.4 11.6
5-6 Aug Asahi Shimbun[permanent dead link] 33 6 3 3 0 0 0 1 1 46 7 13
5-6 Aug ANN Archived 2017-08-08 at the Wayback Machine 38.1 10.8 3.9 5.6 0.1 1.5 0.8 1.4 0.7 37.1 1.0
4-6 Aug NHK 34.8 5.7 3.7 2.8 0.2 0.9 0.3 0.5 0.5 45.7 4.8 10.9
3-6 Aug Jiji Press Archived 2017-08-10 at the Wayback Machine 25.7 3.2 2.5 2.3 0.0 0.8 0.2 0.8 62.2 36.5
3-4 Aug The Nikkei & TV Tokyo 37 8 5 5 0 1 0 2 0 36 6 1
3-4 Aug Yomiuri Shimbun 36 6 3 3 1 0 1 0 45 4 9
3-4 Aug Mainichi Shimbun Archived 2017-08-07 at the Wayback Machine 26 7 5 5 0 1 0 3 1 47 21
3-4 Aug Kyodo News 39.0 7.3 5.9 5.1 0.2 0.4 0.3 2.6 37.9 1.1
22-23 Jul Mainichi Shimbun Archived 2017-07-23 at the Wayback Machine 25 5 3 5 0 1 1 2 2 53 28
22-23 Jul FNN 29.1 7.0 5.3 4.6 0.2 1.3 0.8 3.2 2.0 45.7 0.8 16.6
7-10 Jul Jiji Press Archived 2017-07-14 at the Wayback Machine 21.1 3.8 3.2 2.1 0.0 0.3 0.0 1.1 65.3 44.2
8-9 Jul Asahi Shimbun[permanent dead link] 30 5 4 4 0 1 0 1 1 47 7 17
7-9 Jul NTV Archived 2017-08-11 at the Wayback Machine 35.6 9.2 3.7 5.6 0.0 1.5 0.4 1.1 0.1 38.1 4.6 2.5
7-9 Jul Yomiuri Shimbun 31 6 4 4 0 0 0 1 2 47 4 16
7-9 Jul NHK 30.7 5.8 4.1 3.3 0.2 0.3 0.5 1.2 0.3 47.0 5.8 16.3
17-18 Jun Mainichi Shimbun Archived 2017-07-23 at the Wayback Machine 27 8 3 4 0 1 1 2 1 47 20
17-18 Jun FNN 36.0 8.3 4.1 5.6 0.2 0.8 1.3 3.5 1.7 38.1 0.4 2.1
17-18 Jun Yomiuri Shimbun 41 7 3 3 0 1 0 1 0 40 4 1
17-18 Jun Asahi Shimbun[permanent dead link] 34 8 4 4 0 1 0 1 0 41 7 7
16-18 Jun NTV Archived 2017-06-28 at the Wayback Machine 38.5 11.0 5.1 4.1 0.0 1.4 0.1 1.1 0.3 33.4 5.0 5.1
9-11 Jun NHK 36.4 7.9 4.2 2.7 0.0 0.9 0.4 1.2 0.3 40.8 5.1 4.4
13–14 May FNN 41.6 8.0 2.9 4.3 0.6 0.8 0.8 2.9 2.1 35.6 0.4 6.0
12–14 May Yomiuri Shimbun 43 6 2 2 0 0 1 1 39 5 4
12–14 May NHK 37.5 7.3 3.8 2.7 0.1 1.0 0.3 1.0 0.1 38.4 7.5 0.9
14-16 Apr Yomiuri Shimbun 44 6 3 3 0 0 2 0 38 4 6
7-9 Apr NHK 38.1 6.7 3.8 3.2 0.1 0.6 0.5 1.1 0.2 38.7 7.0 0.6
18-19 Mar Yomiuri Shimbun 40 7 2 3 1 0 2 0 43 2 3
10-12 Mar NHK 36.9 7.6 4.1 2.8 0.0 1.1 0.1 1.6 0.4 38.9 6.6 2.0
17-19 Feb Yomiuri Shimbun 43 6 4 3 0 0 0 1 0 40 2 3
11-12 Feb NHK 38.2 6.4 2.8 4.4 0.7 0.4 0.3 40.1 5.2 1.9
27-29 Jan Yomiuri Shimbun 40 7 3 4 0 0 0 1 0 42 2 2
7-9 Jan NHK 38.3 8.7 3.5 3.2 0.9 0.0 0.3 38.3 5.3 Tied
2017
8-10 Oct NHK 37.1 9.9 3.9 3.9 0.0 1.1 0.1 1.1 0.2 37.8 4.9 0.7
7-9 Oct Yomiuri Shimbun 40 7 3 3 0 1 0 2 1 39 4 1
9-11 Sep Yomiuri Shimbun 46.0 8.0 3.0 4.0 0.0 1.0 0.0 3.0 1.0 31.0 2.0 15.0
9-11 Sep NHK 40.2 8.3 4.3 2.5 0.2 0.4 0.0 1.9 0.2 36.0 6.1 4.2
4-6 Mar Yomiuri Shimbun 37.0 8.0 3.0 4.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.0 0.0 43.0 2.0 6.0
12-14 Feb Yomiuri Shimbun 42.0 7.0 3.0 3.0 0.0 1.0 0.0 40.0 3.0 2.0
5-7 Feb NHK 37.6 9.6 3.6 3.9 0.2 0.2 0.0 1.6 0.1 35.1 7.4 2.5
30-31 Jan Yomiuri Shimbun 40.0 7.0 4.0 4.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 2.0 0.0 39.0 3.0 1.0
9-11 Jan NHK 37.5 8.1 4.3 4.2 0.0 0.6 0.3 1.9 0.2 33.1 9.4 4.4
8-10 Jan Yomiuri Shimbun 40.0 8.0 4.0 4.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 2.0 0.0 37.0 4.0 3.0
2016
17-18 Dec Yomiuri Shimbun 37.0 9.0 5.0 4.0 0.0 1.0 0.0 2.0 0.0 39.0 0.0 2.0
11-13 Dec NHK 37.5 8.5 4.7 5.0 0.0 0.5 0.1 1.8 0.2 34.3 7.0 3.2
4-6 Dec Yomiuri Shimbun 36.0 7.0 3.0 4.0 0.0 1.0 0.0 4.0 0.0 43.0 2.0 7.0
6-8 Nov Yomiuri Shimbun 40.0 7.0 3.0 5.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 2.0 0.0 39.0 2.0 1.0
6-8 Nov NHK 37.1 8.4 3.4 4.1 0.0 0.5 0.3 1.1 0.1 36.3 8.2 0.8
10-12 Oct NHK 35.6 8.6 3.3 4.2 0.2 0.9 0.3 0.1 35.7 10.3 0.1
7-8 Oct Yomiuri Shimbun 39.0 10.0 3.0 3.0 1.0 0.0 0.0 39.0 1.0 Tied
19-20 Sep Yomiuri Shimbun 33.0 11.0 3.0 4.0 0.0 1.0 1.0 0.0 42.0 3.0 9.0
11–13 Sep NHK 34.7 9.8 3.7 4.0 0.1 0.6 0.2 0.6 36.2 9.0 1.5
15-16 Aug Yomiuri Shimbun 37.0 10.0 3.0 4.0 1.0 0.0 0.0 39.0 3.0 2.0
7–9 Aug NHK 34.3 10.9 3.0 4.2 0.2 0.7 0.0 0.1 34.5 9.6 0.2
24-26 Jul Yomiuri Shimbun 36.0 8.0 3.0 5.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 41.0 3.0 5.0
18–19 Jul Asahi Shimbun Archived 2015-10-16 at the Wayback Machine 31.0 9.0 4.0 4.0 0.0 1.0 0.0 0.0 41.0 7.0 10.0
11–12 Jul Asahi Shimbun Archived 2015-07-22 at the Wayback Machine 32.0 8.0 4.0 4.0 1.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 38.0 10.0 6.0
10–12 Jul NHK 34.7 7.7 4.2 3.3 0.1 0.7 0.4 0.1 36.8 9.5 2.1
3-5 Jul Yomiuri Shimbun 35.0 9.0 4.0 3.0 0.0 1.0 0.0 44.0 1.0 9.0
20–21 Jun Asahi Shimbun 36.0 7.0 3.0 3.0 0.0 1.0 0.0 0.0 41.0 7.0 5.0
5-7 Jun Yomiuri Shimbun 38.0 7.0 3.0 4.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 42.0 2.0 4.0
5–7 Jun NHK 35.8 9.4 3.6 4.4 0.0 0.9 0.0 0.2 33.9 9.3 1.9
16–17 May Asahi Shimbun Archived 2015-07-15 at the Wayback Machine 39.0 7.0 3.0 4.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.0 33.0 10.0 6.0
8–10 May Yomiuri Shimbun 43.0 10.0 4.0 4.0 0.0 1.0 0.0 0.0 35.0 2.0 8.0
8–10 May NHK 37.5 7.8 5.3 3.5 0.0 0.8 0.2 0.0 34.7 8.4 2.8
18–19 Apr Asahi Shimbun Archived 2015-07-15 at the Wayback Machine 36.0 7.0 4.0 5.0 0.0 1.0 0.0 0.0 34.0 10.0 2.0
10–12 Apr NHK 37.8 9.2 4.1 4.8 0.2 0.9 0.1 0.3 29.2 9.9 8.6
3-5 Apr Yomiuri Shimbun 41.0 7.0 4.0 4.0 0.0 1.0 0.0 0.0 40.0 1.0 1.0
14–15 Mar Asahi Shimbun Archived 2015-07-15 at the Wayback Machine 38.0 8.0 3.0 3.0 0.0 1.0 0.0 1.0 37.0 8.0 1.0
6–8 Mar NHK 36.7 10.9 3.8 4.6 0.0 1.6 0.3 0.3 31.8 8.1 4.9
28 Jan-28 Feb Yomiuri Shimbun 43.0 9.0 4.0 4.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 0.0 30.0 1.0 13.0
14–15 Feb Asahi Shimbun Archived 2015-07-15 at the Wayback Machine 40.0 7.0 4.0 4.0 0.0 1.0 0.0 1.0 35.0 7.0 5.0
6–8 Feb NHK 41.2 10.3 4.9 4.2 0.1 0.7 0.0 0.1 29.7 6.5 11.5
6-7 Feb Yomiuri Shimbun 42.0 11.0 3.0 4.0 0.0 1.0 0.0 0.0 35.0 1.0 8.0
17–18 Jan Asahi Shimbun Archived 2015-07-15 at the Wayback Machine 33.0 9.0 4.0 4.0 0.0 1.0 0.0 1.0 38.0 7.0 5.0
10–12 Jan NHK 39.4 9.2 4.0 3.7 0.4 0.8 0.1 0.2 31.9 7.7 7.5
9-11 Jan Yomiuri Shimbun 41.0 8.0 3.0 5.0 0.0 1.0 0.0 0.0 38.0 1.0 3.0
2015
24-25 Dec Yomiuri Shimbun 36.0 11.0 5.0 6.0 0.0 1.0 0.0 1.0 32.0 3.0 4.0
15–16 Dec Asahi Shimbun Archived 2015-07-15 at the Wayback Machine 35.0 7.0 4.0 4.0 0.0 1.0 0.0 1.0 33.0 12.0 2.0
14 Dec 2014 General Election 33.1 18.3 13.7 11.4 2.7 2.5 1.9 — — — 0.7 — — 14.9

Preferred prime minister

Date Polling Firm/Source Abe Koike Oth. Und.
+ No
Answer 		Lead
14–15 Oct FNN & Sankei Shimbun 54.0 26.5 19.5 27.5
30 Sep – 1 Oct Kyodo News Archived 2017-10-02 at the Wayback Machine 45.9 33.0 21.1 12.9

Preferred outcome

Date Polling Firm/Source Government gains seats LDP re-election Balanced Opposition gains seats Change in government Und. + No Answer
17–18 Oct Asahi Shimbun[permanent dead link] 37 36 27
14–15 Oct FNN & Sankei Shimbun 50.5 40.6 8.9
14–15 Oct JNN 35 47 18
13–15 Oct NHK 22 33 39
7–9 Oct NHK 21 32 41
7–8 Oct Yomiuri Shimbun 44 42[d] 14
3–4 Oct Asahi Shimbun[permanent dead link] 43 33 24
30 Sep – 1 Oct ANN Archived 2017-10-02 at the Wayback Machine 44 38 18
30 Sep – 1 Oct Kyodo News 27.4 48.6 16.9
29 Sep – 1 Oct NHK 20 33 42
26–27 Sep Mainichi Shimbun 34 49

Cabinet approval / disapproval ratings

Date Polling Firm/Source PM Approval Disapproval Und. + No Answer
17–19 Oct The Nikkei Shinzō Abe 46 44 22
17–18 Oct Asahi Shimbun[permanent dead link] Shinzō Abe 38 40 22
15–16 Oct go2senkyo.com Shinzō Abe 50 50 0
14–15 Oct FNN Shinzō Abe 42.5 46.3 11.2
14–15 Oct JNN Shinzō Abe 48.7 49.2 2.0
13–15 Oct NHK Shinzō Abe 39 42
10–11 Oct The Nikkei Shinzō Abe 37 48
10–11 Oct Asahi Shimbun[permanent dead link] Shinzō Abe 43 41
7–9 Oct NHK Shinzō Abe 37 43
6–9 Oct Jiji Press Archived 2017-10-13 at the Wayback Machine Shinzō Abe 37.1 41.8
8 Oct go2senkyo.com Shinzō Abe 45 54 1
7-8 Oct Yomiuri Shimbun Shinzō Abe 41 46 13
3-4 Oct Asahi Shimbun[permanent dead link] Shinzō Abe 40 38 22
1 Oct go2senkyo.com Shinzō Abe 47 52 1
30 Sep - 1 Oct ANN Archived 2017-10-02 at the Wayback Machine Shinzō Abe 36.9 46.3 16.8
30 Sep - 1 Oct Kyodo News Shinzō Abe 40.6 46.2
29 Sep - 1 Oct Seijiyama Shinzō Abe 35.7 47.7 16.6
29 Sep - 1 Oct NHK Shinzō Abe 37 44
28-29 Sep Yomiuri Shimbun Shinzō Abe 43 46 11
26-27 Sep Asahi Shimbun[permanent dead link] Shinzō Abe 36 39 25
26-27 Sep Mainichi Shimbun Shinzō Abe 36 42 19
23-24 Sep Kyodo News Shinzō Abe 45.0 41.3
22-24 Sep Nikkei & TV Tokyo Shinzō Abe 50 42 8
16-17 Sep ANN Archived 2017-09-18 at the Wayback Machine Shinzō Abe 41.3 39.6 19.1
16-17 Sep FNN Shinzō Abe 50.3 40.0
8-11 Sep Jiji News Archived 2017-09-17 at the Wayback Machine Shinzō Abe 41.8 36.7
9-10 Sep Asahi Shimbun[permanent dead link] Shinzō Abe 38 38
8-10 Sep NHK Shinzō Abe 44 36
8-10 Sep Yomiuri Shimbun Shinzō Abe 50 39
8-10 Sep NTV Archived 2017-09-10 at the Wayback Machine Shinzō Abe 42.1 41.0 17.0
2-3 Sep JNN Shinzō Abe 48.1 50.5 1.5
2-3 Sep Mainichi Shimbun Archived 2017-09-05 at the Wayback Machine Shinzō Abe 39 36 22
2-3 Sep Kyodo News Shinzō Abe 44.5 46.1
25-27 Aug The Nikkei & TV Tokyo Shinzō Abe 46 46
19-20 Aug FNN Shinzō Abe 43.8 49.0 7.2
5-6 Aug ANN Archived 2017-08-08 at the Wayback Machine Shinzō Abe 37.6 47.2 15.2
5-6 Aug JNN Shinzō Abe 39.7 59.0 1.3
5-6 Aug Asahi Shimbun[permanent dead link] Shinzō Abe 35 45
4-6 Aug NHK Shinzō Abe 39 43
4-6 Aug NTV Archived 2017-08-07 at the Wayback Machine Shinzō Abe 35.6 47.3 17.1
3-6 Aug Jiji Press Archived 2017-08-10 at the Wayback Machine Shinzō Abe 36.6 44.1
3-4 Aug Kyodo News Shinzō Abe 44.4 43.2
3-4 Aug Yomiuri Shimbun Shinzō Abe 42 48
3-4 Aug The Nikkei & TV Tokyo Shinzō Abe 42 49
3-4 Aug Mainichi Shimbun Archived 2017-08-07 at the Wayback Machine Shinzō Abe 35 47 17
22-23 Jul FNN Shinzō Abe 34.7 56.1 9.2
22-23 Jul The Nikkei & TV Tokyo Shinzō Abe 39 52
22-23 Jul Mainichi Shimbun Archived 2017-07-23 at the Wayback Machine Shinzō Abe 26 56 17
15-16 Jul ANN Archived 2017-07-18 at the Wayback Machine Shinzō Abe 29.2 54.5 16.3
15-16 Jul Kyodo News[permanent dead link] Shinzō Abe 35.8 53.1
7-10 Jul Jiji Press Archived 2017-07-14 at the Wayback Machine Shinzō Abe 29.9 48.6
8-9 Jul Asahi Shimbun[permanent dead link] Shinzō Abe 33 47 20
7-9 Jul NTV Archived 2017-08-11 at the Wayback Machine Shinzō Abe 31.9 49.2 18.9
7-9 Jul Yomiuri Shimbun Shinzō Abe 36 52 11
7-9 Jul NHK Shinzō Abe 35 48 17
1-2 Jul JNN Shinzō Abe 43.3 55.5 1.3
17-18 Jun Mainichi Shimbun Archived 2017-07-23 at the Wayback Machine Shinzō Abe 36 44 17
17-18 Jun ANN Archived 2017-07-16 at the Wayback Machine Shinzō Abe 37.9 41.6 20.5
17-18 Jun Asahi Shimbun[permanent dead link] Shinzō Abe 41 37 20
17-18 Jun Kyodo News[permanent dead link] Shinzō Abe 44.9 43.1
17-18 Jun FNN Shinzō Abe 47.6 42.9 9.5
17-18 Jun Yomiuri Shimbun Shinzō Abe 49 41 10
16-18 Jun The Nikkei Shinzō Abe 49 42
16-18 Jun NTV Archived 2017-06-28 at the Wayback Machine Shinzō Abe 39.8 41.8 18.4
9-11 Jun NHK Shinzō Abe 48 36 16
3-4 Jun JNN Shinzō Abe 54.4 44.1 1.5
25–28 May The Nikkei Shinzō Abe 56 36
20–21 May Mainichi Shimbun Archived 2018-12-15 at the Wayback Machine Shinzō Abe 46 35 16
20–21 May ANN Archived 2017-08-01 at the Wayback Machine Shinzō Abe 46.4 32.4 21.2
19–21 May NTV Archived 2017-10-28 at the Wayback Machine Shinzō Abe 46.1 36.4 17.6
13–14 May FNN Shinzō Abe 56.1 34.7 9.2
12–14 May Yomiuri Shimbun Shinzō Abe 61 28 11
12–14 May NHK Shinzō Abe 51 30 19
29-30 Apr JNN Shinzō Abe 63.3 34.8 1.9
27-30 Apr The Nikkei Shinzō Abe 60 32
22-23 Apr Mainichi Shimbun Shinzō Abe 51 30 17
22-23 Apr ANN Archived 2017-07-12 at the Wayback Machine Shinzō Abe 50.4 33.0 16.6
15-16 Apr FNN Shinzō Abe 59.3 30.4 10.3
14-16 Apr NTV Archived 2018-12-15 at the Wayback Machine Shinzō Abe 50.4 30.8 18.8
14-16 Apr Yomiuri Shimbun Shinzō Abe 60 29 11
7-9 Apr NHK Shinzō Abe 53 27 20
1-2 Apr JNN Shinzō Abe 57.0 40.6 2.4
25-26 Mar ANN Shinzō Abe 50.5 31.2 18.3
24-26 Mar The Nikkei Shinzō Abe 62 30
18-19 Mar FNN Shinzō Abe 57.4 30.9 11.7
18-19 Mar Yomiuri Shimbun Shinzō Abe 56 33 12
17-19 Mar NTV Archived 2017-03-27 at the Wayback Machine Shinzō Abe 47.6 32.9 19.5
10-12 Mar NHK Shinzō Abe 51 31 18
4-5 Mar JNN Shinzō Abe 61.0 37.3 1.7
25-26 Feb ANN Archived 2017-07-27 at the Wayback Machine Shinzō Abe 54.5 27.9 17.6
24-26 Feb The Nikkei Shinzō Abe 60 30
18-19 Feb FNN Shinzō Abe 58.8 30.1 11.1
17-19 Feb NTV Archived 2018-12-15 at the Wayback Machine Shinzō Abe 54.9 26.0 19.1
17-19 Feb Yomiuri Shimbun Shinzō Abe 66 24 9
11-12 Feb NHK Shinzō Abe 58 23 19
4-5 Feb JNN Shinzō Abe 65.4 33.4 1.2
28-29 Jan FNN Shinzō Abe 60.7 30.7 8.6
28-29 Jan ANN Archived 2017-07-28 at the Wayback Machine Shinzō Abe 55.3 27.5 17.2
27-29 Jan The Nikkei Shinzō Abe 66 26
27-29 Jan Yomiuri Shimbun Shinzō Abe 61 31 8
20-22 Jan NTV Archived 2017-02-08 at the Wayback Machine Shinzō Abe 57.2 28.9 13.9
14-15 Jan JNN Shinzō Abe 67.0 31.5 1.7
7-9 Jan NHK Shinzō Abe 55 29 16
2017
17-18 Dec FNN Shinzō Abe 55.6 30.9 13.5
12-13 Nov FNN Shinzō Abe 57.9 31.9 10.2
15-16 Oct FNN Shinzō Abe 57.6 35.5 6.9
17-18 Sep FNN Shinzō Abe 56.6 33.3 10.1
9-11 Sep Yomiuri Shimbun Shinzō Abe 62 29 9
9-11 Sep NHK Shinzō Abe 57 26 17
6-7 Aug FNN Shinzō Abe 55.4 33.1 11.5
16-17 Jul FNN Shinzō Abe 49.8 39.1 11.1
18-19 Jun FNN Shinzō Abe 49.4 38.1 10.6
4-6 Mar Yomiuri Shimbun Shinzō Abe 49 40 11
12-14 Feb Yomiuri Shimbun Shinzō Abe 52 36 12
5-7 Feb NHK Shinzō Abe 50 34 16
30-31 Jan Yomiuri Shimbun Shinzō Abe 56 34 9
9-11 Jan NHK Shinzō Abe 46 35 19
8-10 Jan Yomiuri Shimbun Shinzō Abe 54 36 9
2016
17-18 Dec Yomiuri Shimbun Shinzō Abe 49 39 12
11-13 Dec NHK Shinzō Abe 46 36 18
4-6 Dec Yomiuri Shimbun Shinzō Abe 48 40 12
6-8 Nov Yomiuri Shimbun Shinzō Abe 51 38 11
6-8 Nov NHK Shinzō Abe 47 39 14
10-12 Oct NHK Shinzō Abe 43 40 17
7-8 Oct Yomiuri Shimbun Shinzō Abe 46 45 8
19-20 Sep Yomiuri Shimbun Shinzō Abe 41 51 8
11–13 Sep NHK Shinzō Abe 43 39 18
15-16 Aug Yomiuri Shimbun Shinzō Abe 45 45 10
7–9 Aug NHK Shinzō Abe 37 46 17
24-26 Jul Yomiuri Shimbun Shinzō Abe 43 49 8
18–19 Jul Asahi Shimbun Archived 2015-10-16 at the Wayback Machine Shinzō Abe 37 46 17
11–12 Jun Asahi Shimbun Archived 2015-07-22 at the Wayback Machine Shinzō Abe 39 42 19
10–12 Jul NHK Shinzō Abe 41 43 16
3-5 Jul Yomiuri Shimbun Shinzō Abe 49 40 10
20–21 Jun Asahi Shimbun Shinzō Abe 39 37 24
5-7 Jun Yomiuri Shimbun Shinzō Abe 53 36 10
5–7 Jun NHK Shinzō Abe 48 34 18
16–17 May Asahi Shimbun Archived 2015-07-15 at the Wayback Machine Shinzō Abe 45 32 23
8–10 May Yomiuri Shimbun Shinzō Abe 58 32 10
8–10 May NHK Shinzō Abe 51 32 17
18–19 Apr Asahi Shimbun Archived 2015-07-15 at the Wayback Machine Shinzō Abe 44 35 21
10–12 Apr NHK Shinzō Abe 51 34 15
3-5 Apr Yomiuri Shimbun Shinzō Abe 57 35 8
14–15 Mar Asahi Shimbun Archived 2015-07-15 at the Wayback Machine Shinzō Abe 46 33 21
6–8 Mar NHK Shinzō Abe 46 37 17
28 Jan-28 Feb Yomiuri Shimbun Shinzō Abe 56 36 8
14–15 Feb Asahi Shimbun Archived 2015-07-15 at the Wayback Machine Shinzō Abe 50 31 19
6–8 Feb NHK Shinzō Abe 54 29 17
6-7 Feb Yomiuri Shimbun Shinzō Abe 58 34 8
17–18 Jan Asahi Shimbun Archived 2015-07-15 at the Wayback Machine Shinzō Abe 42 37 21
10–12 Jan NHK Shinzō Abe 50 32 18
9-11 Jan Yomiuri Shimbun Shinzō Abe 53 38 9
2015
24-25 Dec Yomiuri Shimbun Shinzō Abe 49 41 10
15–16 Dec Asahi Shimbun Archived 2015-07-15 at the Wayback Machine Shinzō Abe 43 34 23
5–7 Dec NHK Shinzō Abe 47 38 15
2014
Approval (blue) and Disapproval (red) Ratings for Second and Third Abe Cabinet

Results

Constituency Cartogram
12
2
55
29
11
50
284
22
PartyProportionalConstituencyTotal
seats		+/–
Votes%SeatsVotes%Seats
Liberal Democratic Party18,555,71733.286626,500,77747.82218284–7
Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan11,084,89019.88374,726,3268.531855New
Kibō no Tō9,677,52417.363211,437,60220.641850New
Komeito6,977,71212.5121832,4531.50829–6
Japanese Communist Party4,404,0817.90114,998,9329.02112–9
Nippon Ishin no Kai3,387,0976.0781,765,0533.18311New
Social Democratic Party941,3241.691634,7701.15120
Happiness Realization Party292,0840.520159,1710.29000
New Party Daichi226,5520.4100New
Shiji Seitō Nashi125,0190.22000
Party for Japanese Kokoro85,5520.1500–2
Assembly for Zero Parliamentary Compensation21,8920.0400New
New Party Constitution Article 96,6550.0100New
Fair Party5,5180.0100New
Japan New Party5,2910.0100New
Assembly to Make Nagano Prefecture the Best Economy in Japan3,7840.0100New
Workers Party Aiming for Liberation of Labor3,1330.0100New
Association to Innovate Metropolitan Government2,9310.0100New
Katsuko Inumaru and Republican Party1,5700.00000
World Economic Community Party1,3070.00000
Independents4,315,0287.792222+14
Total55,757,552100.0017655,422,193100.00289465–10
Valid votes55,757,55297.9155,422,08897.32
Invalid/blank votes1,187,7022.091,528,8692.68
Total votes56,945,254100.0056,950,957100.00
Registered voters/turnout106,091,22953.68106,091,22953.68
Source: Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications

By prefecture

Prefecture Total
seats 		Seats won
LDP CDP Kibō Komeito Ishin JCP SDP Ind.
Aichi 15 8 2 3 2
Akita 3 3
Aomori 3 3
Chiba 13 12 1
Ehime 4 3 1
Fukui 2 2
Fukuoka 11 11
Fukushima 5 3 2
Gifu 5 5
Gunma 5 5
Hiroshima 7 6 1
Hokkaido 12 6 5 1
Hyōgo 12 10 2
Ibaraki 7 6 1
Ishikawa 3 3
Iwate 3 1 1 1
Kagawa 3 2 1
Kagoshima 4 3 1
Kanagawa 18 13 3 1 1
Kōchi 2 1 1
Kumamoto 4 4
Kyoto 6 4 1 1
Mie 4 2 2
Miyagi 6 5 1
Miyazaki 3 3
Nagano 5 2 2 1
Nagasaki 4 3 1
Nara 3 3
Niigata 6 2 1 3
Ōita 3 3
Okayama 5 5
Okinawa 4 1 1 1 1
Osaka 19 10 1 4 3 1
Saga 2 1 1
Saitama 15 13 1 1
Shiga 4 4
Shimane 2 2
Shizuoka 8 6 2
Tochigi 5 4 1
Tokushima 2 2
Tokyo 25 19 4 1 1
Tottori 2 2
Toyama 3 3
Wakayama 3 2 1
Yamagata 3 3
Yamaguchi 4 4
Yamanashi 2 1 1
Total 289 218 18 18 8 3 1 1 22

By PR block

PR block Total
seats 		Seats won
LDP CDP Kibō Komeito JCP Ishin SDP
Chūgoku 11 5 2 2 2
Hokkaido 8 3 3 1 1
Hokuriku–Shinetsu 11 5 2 2 1 1
Kinki 28 9 5 3 4 2 5
Kyushu 20 7 3 4 3 1 1 1
Northern Kanto 19 7 5 4 2 1
Shikoku 6 3 1 1 1
Southern Kanto 22 8 5 4 2 2 1
Tohoku 13 5 3 3 1 1
Tokai 21 8 4 5 2 1 1
Tokyo 17 6 4 3 2 2
Total 176 66 37 32 21 11 8 1

Notable defeats

Party Name Constituency Year elected Defeated by Party Details
Liberal Democratic Yūji Yamamoto Kochi-2nd 1990 (in Kochi-3rd) Hajime Hirota Independent Agriculture Minister in the Third Abe Cabinet. He was returned to the Diet through the Shikoku PR block.[26]
Koya Nishikawa Tochigi-2nd (Kita-Kantō PR block) 1996 Akio Fukuda Independent Agriculture Minister in the Second Abe Cabinet who was defeated in the district in 2014 but managed to return through the PR block at that time. He didn't enter the block this time round and therefore was not returned to the Diet.[27]
Yūko Nakagawa Hokkaido-11th 2012 Kaori Ishikawa CDP MP since 2012 and widow of former Finance Minister, Shōichi Nakagawa.[28]
Miki Yamada Tokyo-1st 2012 Banri Kaieda CDP Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Third Abe Cabinet. Yamada famously defeated former DPJ leader Kaieda in the 2014 election.[29][30] Kaieda regained his seat in this election. Yamada was able to retain her Diet seat through the LDP list for the Tokyo PR block.[31]
Takao Ochi Tokyo-6th 2012 Takayuki Ochiai CDP Vice Minister of the Cabinet Office in the Second and Third Abe Cabinet. Ochi was able to hold on to his Diet seat through the LDP list for the Tokyo PR block.[32]
Masatada Tsuchiya Tokyo-18th 2012 Naoto Kan CDP Former mayor of Musashino. Tsuchiya defeated former PM Kan in the 2014 election. Kan was able to return to the parliament through the Tokyo PR block and was the very last (475th) MP elected that night.[29][30] He regained his seat in the election. Conversely, Tsuchiya wasn't returned to the Diet as he was not in the LDP list for the Tokyo PR block.[33]
Komeito Isamu Ueda Kanagawa-6th 2000 (block)
2003 (district) 		Yōichirō Aoyagi CDP Deputy Secretary General of the Komeito party and Vice Finance Minister in the Second and Third Koizumi Cabinet[34]
Kibō no Tō Masaru Wakasa Tokyo-10th 2014 (block)
2016 (district) 		Hayato Suzuki Liberal Democratic A founding member of Kibō no Tō and one of the closest allies of Yuriko Koike. He was in the Kibō list for the Tokyo PR block, but was not able to hold on to his Diet seat due to receiving inadequate votes.[35][36]
Sumio Mabuchi Nara-1st 2003 Shigeki Kobayashi Liberal Democratic Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism in the Kan cabinet and a candidate for the 2012 DPJ leadership election. Mabuchi has the highest ratio of margin of defeat (97.27%) among all defeated candidates in the election.[37]
Independent (formerly LDP) Keiichirō Asao Kanagawa-4th 2009 Yuki Waseda CDP Former chairman of the defunct Your Party. He contested as an independent as he wasn't selected by the LDP in the snap election.[38]
Mayuko Toyota Saitama-4th 2012 Yasushi Hosaka Liberal Democratic Toyota resigned from the LDP due to a high-profile bullying scandal in June 2017.[39] At the time of the election, she was under investigation for assaulting her former aide. She contested as an independent as she wasn't selected by the LDP in the snap election.[40]

Aftermath

Results of the Prime Minister election[41][42]
Party Candidate Votes
Rep Cou
LDP–Kōmei Shinzō Abe 312 151
CDP Yukio Edano 60 9
Kibō Shū Watanabe 51 3
DP Kōhei Ōtsuka 16 48
JCP Kazuo Shii 12 14
Ishin Toranosuke Katayama 11 11
Former DP Seiji Maehara 1 0
Independent Eiichirō Washio 1 0
Independent Kenzō Fujisue 0 2
Invalid/blank vote 1 1
Did not vote 0 3
Total 465 242

Reactions and analysis

The success of the CDP in surpassing the Kibō no Tō in the number of seats and becoming the official opposition party was surprising. It presented a potential challenge for the ruling coalition to pass the constitutional amendment of Article 9, which was one of the main issues of the 2017 general election that was supported by Kibō no Tō leader Koike but opposed by the pacifist coalition.[43] With a supermajority in both the upper and the lower house, the ruling coalition was expected to pass other legislation without much resistance.[44] In a post-election conference, Prime Minister Shinzō Abe was optimistic about moving forward, stating that the victory was the first time the LDP have "won three consecutive victories" under the same party leader.[45] The landslide victory achieved by the LDP campaign has been observed as not completely related to the popularity of Shinzo Abe, as the victory was also significantly influenced by the disconnect between the oppositions, notably the failure of Koike and the pacifist coalition to unite over many election issues.[45][46]

Nevertheless, the CDP finishing second led to Kibō no Tō de facto dissolving in 2018 (despite attempts by Shigefumi Matsuzawa to revive the party) and merging into the Democratic Party for the People, which subsequently largely merged into a refounded CDP with the exception of a splinter group led by Yuichiro Tamaki. Koike became an independent, lightly cooperating with the LDP and her own regional party, Tomin First no Kai.[47]

Investiture vote

A special Diet session was convened on 1 November to elect the next prime minister.[48] Abe was re-elected with 312 and 151 votes in the House of Representatives and House of Councillors respectively.[41][42] The new cabinet was formed later on the day.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ as Democratic Party of Japan
  2. ^ as Japan Innovation Party
  3. ^ This poll is not specific to the PR blocks, but is rather a general voting-intention poll. "At the next elections, what is the party that you would like to vote for, or to which your preferred candidate belongs?"
  4. ^ This response was phrased as "The government loses its majority", which would include both those wishing for a change in government, as well as those wishing for the coalition to negotiate with other parties

References

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  2. ^ "How Japanese PM Shinzo Abe won a sweeping electoral triumph". Financial Times. 22 October 2017.
  3. ^ "立憲民主党、野党第1党が確実（衆院選2017)". Huffington Post. 2017-10-22.
  4. ^ "Election turnout likely second-lowest in postwar period, estimate says". The Japan Times. 2017-10-23.
  5. ^ a b Umeda, Sayuri. "Japan: Voting Age Lowered from 20 to 18". Library of Congress.
  6. ^ Rich, M. (22 November 2017). "Japan Election Vindicates Shinzo Abe as His Party Wins Big". The New York Times. Retrieved November 27, 2017.
  7. ^ MIC/e-gov legal database: 公職選挙法 Archived 2016-07-29 at the Wayback Machine, chapter 5 (election dates), article 31 (general elections)
  8. ^ "民主、衆参同日選も想定 年内に候補者170人擁立めざす". Nihon Keizai Shimbun. 6 June 2015. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
  9. ^ Rich, Motoko (2017-07-03). "Tokyo Voters' Rebuke Signals Doubt About Shinzo Abe's Future". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-10-09.
  10. ^ a b Repeta, Lawrence [in Japanese] (2017-10-15). "Backstory to Abe's Snap Election – the Secrets of Moritomo, Kake and the "Missing" Japan SDF Activity Logs". The Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus. Retrieved 2017-10-17.
  11. ^ a b Rich, Motoko (2017-09-25). "Shinzo Abe of Japan Calls Early Election, as a Rival Party Forms". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-10-09.
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  24. ^ "Japan's opposition races to assemble slates as tumult persists". SGA. 4 October 2017. Archived from the original on 8 October 2017. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
  25. ^ Japan Ranks Low in Female Lawmakers. An Election Won't Change That., by MOTOKO RICHOCT. 21, 2017, https://nyti.ms/2gVN79s New York Times
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  27. ^ "栃木２区" (in Japanese). NHK. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  28. ^ "北海道１１区" (in Japanese). NHK. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  29. ^ a b Aoki, Mizuho; Yoshida, Reiji. "Kaieda quits as DPJ chief after humiliating ejection from Diet". The Japan Times. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
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  34. ^ "神奈川６区" (in Japanese). NHK. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
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  38. ^ "埼玉４区" (in Japanese). NHK. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
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  40. ^ "埼玉４区" (in Japanese). NHK. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  41. ^ a b 第195回国会 本会議 第1号（平成29年11月1日（水曜日）） (in Japanese)
  42. ^ a b 第195回国会 （2017年11月1日） 投票結果ー内閣総理大臣の指名 (in Japanese)
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