Shūgiin election 1983

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Share of votes in%
 %
50
40
30th
20th
10
0
45.8
19.5
10.1
9.3
7.3
4.9
2.4
0.7
0.1
Independent
NLC
SDF
Otherwise.
Gains and losses
compared to 1980
 % p
   2
   0
  -2
  -4
-2.1
+0.2
+1.1
-0.5
+0.7
+1.4
-0.6
± 0.0
-0.1
Independent
NLC
SDF
Otherwise.
Distribution of seats after the 1983 election
        
A total of 511 seats

The 1983 Shūgiin election was the 37th election to Shūgiin , the Japanese lower house, and took place on December 18, 1983.

On October 12, 1983, the Tokyo District Court ( 東京 地方 裁判 所 , Tōkyō chihō-saiban-sho ) sentenced former Prime Minister Tanaka Kakuei in the first trial for the Lockheed scandal , but who enjoyed immunity because of his parliamentary mandate. The opposition sought a "resolution calling for resignation" ( 議員 辞職 勧 告 決議 , giin jishoku kankoku ketsugi ) against Tanaka. At the urging of the Tanaka faction, Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone dissolved the lower house on November 28th. Topics of the election campaign were, besides the scandal and the demand for “clean politics”, which the Kōmeitō and the SPJ in particular had written on the flags, the reform of the administration and a tax cut promised by Prime Minister Nakasone.

The turnout was 67.9%.

Party / faction Seats modification
to the last election on the composition before the election
Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) 250 −36 −34
     Tanaka faction 63 +10
     Suzuki faction 50 −4
     Nakasone faction 42 −1
     Fukuda faction 40 −5
     Kōmoto faction 28 (+28)
     Ishihara faction 7th −6
     without faction 20th (−16)
Opposition parties 245 +32
Socialist Party of Japan (SPJ) 112 +11 +5
Kōmeitō 58 +24 +25
Democratic Socialist Party (DSP) 38 +7
Communist Party of Japan (CPJ) 26th −3 −3
New Liberal Club 8th −2 −4
Social Democratic Federation 3 ± 0
Independent 16 +5
total 511 ± 0 +13 (vacancies)

Effects

The LDP lost its absolute majority with a relatively low turnout. To keep a majority in the lower house, Prime Minister Nakasone formed a coalition with the New Liberal Club, which had a minister in the new cabinet . Tanaka Kakuei was elected as the candidate with the most votes in the 3rd constituency of Niigata with five seats to be awarded and retained his immunity. On December 20, 1983, the LDP regained its absolute majority through the accession of eight independent MPs.

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