Uniform regional elections in Japan 2007

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The 16th Japanese unified regional elections in 2007 ( Japanese 2007 年 統一 地方 選 挙 , 2007-nen tōitsu chihōotenyo ) took place in April 2007. On April 8, 2007, 44 of the 47 prefectural parliaments , 13 governors, four mayors and 15 city councilors were elected in “major cities by government decree” ( seirei shitei toshi ). Mayor or council elections followed in over 1,000 other municipalities on April 22, 2007 ; at the same time, by-elections for the Sangiin , the national upper house, took place in Fukushima and Okinawa .

Prefecture level

Gubernatorial elections

Governors were elected in 13 prefectures, including Hokkaidō , Tokyo and Kanagawa , with nine incumbents standing for re-election. In Hokkaidō, Iwate and Fukuoka two different candidates each had the support of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the Democratic Party (DPJ), the largest opposition party. No formal support was given in Tokyo and Kanagawa. In the remaining gubernatorial elections, there was either a candidate supported jointly by both major parties, or only one candidate supported by the LDP and a communist candidate against it.

Elected governors
prefecture Election winners
(number for re-elections) 		Support parties
Hokkaidō Harumi Takahashi (2) LDP , Kōmeitō
Iwate Takuya Tasso DPJ
Tokyo Shintaro Ishihara (3) - (formerly LDP)
Kanagawa Shigefumi Matsuzawa (2) - (formerly DPJ)
Fukui Issei Nishikawa (2) LDP, DPJ, Kōmeitō, NVP
Mie Akihiko Noro (2) LDP, DPJ, Kōmeitō, SDP
Nara Shōgo Arai LDP, Kōmeitō
Tokushima Kamon Iizumi (2) LDP, Kōmeitō
Tottori Shinji Hirai LDP, Kōmeitō
Shimane Zembē Mizoguchi LDP, Kōmeitō
Ōita Katsusada Hirose (2) - (formerly LDP-supported)
Fukuoka Wataru Asō (4) - (formerly LDP-supported)
saga Yasushi Furukawa (2) LDP, Kōmeitō

Parliamentary elections

With the exception of Ibaraki , Tokyo and Okinawa , all prefectural parliaments ( kengikai , fugikai , dōgikai ) were newly elected. The members of parliament are elected for four years by a single, non-transferable vote in multi-mandate constituencies.

The DPJ was able to almost double its share of the vote from 9 to 16 percent; however, the LDP remained the strongest party in all parliaments with the exception of Iwate , where the Democrats won from 21 of the 48 seats. In many parliaments, independents make up a significant part of the MPs. In Osaka , the Kōmeitō was able to surpass the DPJ as the second strongest party behind the LDP. In Kanagawa , the DPJ, with 34 of the 107 seats, was just behind the LDP with 36.

Aggregated results of the prefectural parliamentary elections
Political party be right proportion of MPs of which without a vote
Liberal Democratic Party 14,664,639 38.4% 1212 278
Democratic Party 6,275,981 16.4% 375 46
Kōmeitō 2,950,454 7.7% 181 6th
Communist Party of Japan 2,881,897 7.6% 100 7th
Social Democratic Party 710.828 1.9% 52 5
New People's Party 20,800 0.1% 1 0
Others 699.733 1.8% 40 5
Independent 9.960.217 26.1% 583 69
LDP-close 249 26th
DPJ-close 128 21st
SDP-related 30th 4th
other 176 18th
total 38.164.549 100.0% 2544 416

The number of female candidates had decreased slightly compared to 2003, but the number of women elected reached a new high of 190 (compared to 164 in 2003).

Results of the 2007 parliamentary elections: allocation of seats
Northern Japan
prefecture majority LDP DPJ Kōmeitō KPJ other Independent total
Hokkaidō LDP: rel. 45 35 7th 2 - 17th 106
Aomori LDP: rel. 24 6th 2 2 SDP : 1 - 13 48
Iwate DPJ: rel. 13 21st 1 1 Iwate Seiwakai: 4 SDP : 3 - 5 48
Miyagi LDP: rel. 30th 9 4th 2 SDP : 2 - 14th 61
Akita LDP: rel. 19th 2 1 1 SDP : 3 NVP : 1 - 18th 45
Yamagata LDP: abs. 27 1 1 2 SDP : 2 - 11 44
Fukushima LDP: rel. 29 11 3 3 SDP : 3 - 9 58
East and Central Japan
(not eligible: Ibaraki, Tokyo)
prefecture majority LDP DPJ Kōmeitō KPJ other Independent total
Tochigi LDP: abs. 32 6th 2 1 - 9 50
Gunma LDP: abs. 32 3 2 1 - 12 50
Saitama LDP: rel. 41 15th 10 1 Ikiiki Saitama: 3 Kaeyō Saitama: 3 SDP : 1 20th 94
Chiba LDP: abs. 50 20th 7th 4th Shimin Net : 2 SDP : 1 - 11 95
Kanagawa LDP: rel. 36 34 12 1 SDP : 1 Shimin Net : 1 - 22nd 107
Niigata LDP: abs. 29 8th 1 1 Mushozoku no Kai: 3 SDP : 1 - 10 53
Toyama LDP: abs. 29 2 1 1 SDP : 4 - 3 40
Ishikawa LDP: abs. 24 2 2 1 Shinshin Ishikawa : 6 SDP : 1 - 10 46
Fukui LDP: abs. 24 2 1 0 - 13 40
Yamanashi 15th 3 1 1 - 18th 38
Nagano 11 4th 2 7th SDP : 2 Seishinkai: 2 Aozora: 1 29 58
Gifu LDP: abs. 25th 4th 2 1 - 14th 46
Shizuoka LDP: rel. 35 11 6th 1 - 21st 74
Aichi LDP: abs. 57 38 7th 0 - 2 104
Western japan
prefecture majority LDP DPJ Kōmeitō KPJ other Independent total
Mie LDP: rel. 18th 9 2 2 Shinsei Mie: 4 - 16 51
Shiga LDP: rel. 16 13 2 3 Taiwa de tsunagō Shiga: 4 - 9 47
Kyoto LDP: rel. 24 11 6th 11 Shinseikai: 2 - 8th 62
Osaka LDP: rel. 45 20th 23 10 SDP : 1 - 13 112
Hyogo 25th 18th 12 5 - 32 92
Nara LDP: rel. 20th 7th 3 5 SDP : 1 - 8th 44
Wakayama LDP: rel. 23 1 4th 4th SDP : 1 - 13 46
Tottori LDP: abs. 21st 5 2 2 - 8th 38
Shimane LDP: abs. 21st 3 1 1 - 11 37
Okayama LDP: rel. 28 4th 5 3 - 16 56
Hiroshima LDP: rel. 33 4th 6th 1 - 22nd 66
Yamaguchi LDP: abs. 26th 4th 4th 3 SDP : 1 - 11 49
Tokushima LDP: rel. 20th 4th 2 3 - 12 41
Kagawa LDP: abs. 29 3 2 2 SDP : 4 - 5 45
Ehime LDP: abs. 29 4th 2 1 SDP : 2 - 9 47
Kochi 13 1 3 4th SDP : 2 - 16 39
South Japan
(not optional: Okinawa)
prefecture majority LDP DPJ Kōmeitō KPJ other Independent total
Fukuoka LDP: rel. 40 12 11 1 Nosiren: 4 SDP : 1 - 19th 88
saga LDP: abs. 27 2 1 1 SDP : 2 - 8th 41
Nagasaki LDP: rel. 19th 8th 4th 1 SDP : 2 - 12 46
Kumamoto LDP: rel. 25th 2 3 0 NSP : 1 - 18th 49
Ōita LDP: rel. 18th 3 3 1 SDP : 4 - 15th 44
Miyazaki LDP: abs. 26th 3 3 1 SDP : 5th - 7th 45
Kagoshima LDP: abs. 38 1 3 1 SDP : 1 - 10 54

Local level

"Big cities by government decree"

mayor

In the mayoral elections in Sapporo , Shizuoka and Hiroshima , the incumbents were re-elected. In Hamamatsu , former DPJ MP Yasutomo Suzuki beat incumbent Yasuyuki Kitawaki , also a former DPJ MP, with around 204 to 192 thousand votes.

Elected mayors in "major cities by government decree"
city Election winners
(number for re-elections) 		Support parties
Sapporo ( Hokkaidō ) Fumio Ueda (2) DPJ , SDP , Shimin Net
Shizuoka ( Shizuoka ) Zenkichi Kojima (2 *) LDP , Kōmeitō
Hamamatsu (Shizuoka) Yasutomo Suzuki
Hiroshima ( Hiroshima ) Tadatoshi Akiba (3)

(*) Zenkichi Kojima was mayor of the "old" Shizuoka in his third term before 2003, before the merger with Shimizu took place and new elections were held.

Councilors

In 15 seirei shitei toshi , the city parliaments were re-elected, i.e. in all with the exception of Shizuoka and Kitakyūshū . In Kawasaki and Nagoya the DPJ was able to conquer the status of the strongest party, in Sakai the Kōmeitō, in all other cities the LDP remained the strongest party. In Sendai , Niigata, and Hamamatsu , however, independents had more MPs than either party.

Aggregated results of the city council elections in "major cities by government decree"
Political party be right proportion of MPs
Liberal Democratic Party 2,291,044 26.7% 276
Democratic Party 1,853,491 21.6% 194
Kōmeitō 1,398,752 16.3% 169
Communist Party of Japan 1,065,600 12.4% 124
Social Democratic Party 107,911 1.3% 15th
New People's Party 4,421 0.1% 0
Others 457.818 5.3% 39
Independent 1,415,894 16.5% 166
total 8,594,931 100.0% 983
Results of the council elections in “major cities by government decree” 2007: seat allocation
city majority LDP DPJ Kōmeitō KPJ SDP Others Independent total
Sapporo ( Hokkaidō ) LDP: rel. 23 21st 11 6th - Shimin Net : 4 - 3 68
Sendai ( Miyagi ) 10 9 8th 6th 6th - 21st 60
Saitama ( Saitama ) LDP: rel. 22nd 10 11 8th - - 13 64
Chiba ( Chiba ) LDP: rel. 16 9 8th 6th 0 Shimin Net : 6 - 9 54
Yokohama ( Kanagawa ) LDP: rel. 30th 28 16 5 0 Network Yokohama : 4 Yokohama-kai : 4 Kanagawa Net : 1 4th 92
Kawasaki (Kanagawa) DPJ: rel. 17th 18th 14th 10 - Kanagawa Net : 2 - 2 63
Niigata ( Niigata ) 8th 4th 5 7th 2 - 30th 56
Hamamatsu ( Shizuoka ) 6th 2 4th 4th 1 - 37 54
Nagoya ( Aichi ) DPJ: rel. 23 28 14th 8th 1 - 1 75
Kyōto ( Kyōto ) LDP: rel. 23 12 12 19th 0 - 3 69
Osaka ( Osaka ) LDP: rel. 30th 17th 20th 16 - - 6th 89
Sakai (Osaka) Kōmei: rel. 10 9 13 8th - Winnet: 1 - 11 52
Kobe ( Hyōgo ) LDP: rel. 18th 17th 13 10 - Kaikaku Forum: 3 NSP : 2 Shiminryoku: 2 4th 69
Hiroshima ( Hiroshima ) LDP: rel. 21st 2 8th 5 4th - 15th 55
Fukuoka ( Fukuoka ) LDP: rel. 19th 8th 12 6th 1 Mirai Fukuoka: 6 Fukuoka Net : 3 Heiseikai: 1 7th 63

Remaining municipalities

Mayors were elected in 13 districts of Tokyo Prefecture, 96 large cities and many small towns and villages , as well as numerous municipal parliaments, including 21 of the 23 Tokyo districts.

In the big cities, 21 LDP candidates, two DPJ candidates, one CPJ candidate and one other prevailed; 18 elected mayors were supported by both major parties, 53 by neither. Nationwide attention was given to the mayoral elections in Nagasaki ( Nagasaki ), where Tomihisa Taue succeeded Mayor Itchō Itō , who was shot only five days earlier , in Yūbari ( Hokkaidō ), a city that has been insolvent since March 2007, where Hajime Fujikura, a former manager , was elected, and in Tōyō ( Kōchi ), where Yasutarō Sawayama won the election as an opponent of the settlement of a planned storage facility for high-level radioactive waste.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Party affiliations according to Yomiuri Shimbun
  2. ↑ Party affiliations according to Yomiuri Shimbun
  3. ^ Bankrupt Yubari elects ex-biz chief. In: The Japan Times . April 24, 2007, accessed December 13, 2009 .
  4. ^ Ruling, opposition camps split by elections. DPJ takes Fukushima; LDP wins Okinawa. In: The Japan Times . April 23, 2007, accessed December 13, 2009 .