An early general parliamentary election in Japan was held on December 16, 2012 [1] . These were the 46th elections to the lower house of the Japanese parliament, the House of Representatives , beginning in 1890. The Liberal Democratic Party won with a huge advantage, having significantly outpaced the Democratic Party , and regained the majority in parliament only after 3 years in the opposition.
← 2009  2014 → | |||
| Legislative Election in Japan (2012) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | |||
| December 16th | |||
 |  |  | |
| Candidate | Shinzo Abe | Yoshihiko Noda | Shintaro Ishihara |
| The consignment | Liberal Democratic Party | Democratic Party | Renaissance party |
| Seats received | 294 ( ▲ 176) | 57 ( ▼ 173) | 54 ( ▲ 43) |
| Votes | 25,643,309 (43.01%) | 13 598 773 (22.81%) | 6 942 353 (11.64%) |
| Change in the percentage of votes | ▲ 4.33% | ▼ 24.62% | |
| Past number of seats | 119 | 308 | eleven |
 |  |  | |
| Candidate | Natsuo Yamaguchi | Yoshimi Watanabe | Yukiko Kada |
| The consignment | Komeito | Your party | Party of the future |
| Seats received | 31 ( ▲ 10) | 18 ( ▲ 10) | 9 ( ▼ 52) |
| Votes | 885 881 (1.49%) | 2 807 244 (4.71%) | 2 992 365 (5.02%) |
| Change in the percentage of votes | ▲ 0.38% | ▲ 3.84% | |
| Past number of seats | 21 | eight | 61 |
 |  | ||
| Candidate | Kazuo Shii | Mizuho Fukushima | |
| The consignment | Communist party | Social Democratic Party | |
| Seats received | 8 (-1) | 2 (-3) | |
| Past number of seats | 9 | five | |
| Election result |  Distribution of seats in the House of Representatives after the election. | ||
Immediately after the defeat in the election, the Prime Minister of the Democratic Party, Yoshihiko Noda, announced his resignation [2] .
Content
Situation before the election
In July 2012, Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada proposed that the Liberal Democratic Party dissolve parliament and announce early elections in January 2013 [3] . In August 2012, an agreement was reached on the dissolution and calling of elections to the House of Representatives immediately after the adoption of the law on national consumer tax [4] .
As a result of the 2009 parliamentary elections, for the first time since World War II , the Democratic Party won under the leadership of Yukio Hatoyama , gaining 308 seats in the House of Representatives out of 480 possible (64.2%). This allowed the leader of the Democratic Party to become Prime Minister of Japan. However, after that, three prime ministers were replaced: Naoto Kan and Yoshihiko Noda . On November 16, 2012, Noda dissolved the parliament, which automatically meant the appointment of early elections within a month. Noda explained this by the lack of funds for the work of the government and the need for an emergency budget.
Due to frustration in the government of the Democratic Party and the former LDP government, many new parties and movements have appeared in Japan that are trying to become a “third force” to balance the two largest parties, the Democratic Party and the LDP [5] .
Former Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara announced on November 14 the reformation and renaming of the former Sunrise Party, which he led with Takeo Hiranuma [6] . On November 17, Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto and Shintaro Ishihara announced the merger of the Sunrise Party and the Renaissance Party of Japan [7] . The renewed Renaissance Party of Japan became the first non-capital political party in Japan [8] .
Results
The majority of seats were won by the Japanese Liberal Democratic Party (294). Komeito (31 seats) entered the ruling coalition with it. [9]
| Blocks and parties | Local Elections | Party List Elections | Total places | +/− | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vote | % | Places | Vote | % | Places | (past elections) | (before- elections) | |||
| Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Dziyu Minsuto | 25,643,309 | 43.01 | 237 | 16 624 457 | 27.79 | 57 | 294 | +176 | +175 | |
| Komeito (Justice Party) | 885 881 | 1.49 | 9 | 7 116 474 | 11.90 | 22 | 31 | +10 | +10 | |
| Right-Center Coalition | 26,529,190 | 44.49 | 246 | 23,740,931 | 39.69 | 79 | 325 | +186 | +185 | |
| Democratic Party (DPJ) Minsuto | 13 598 773 | 22.81 | 27 | 9,268,653 | 15.49 | thirty | 57 | -173 | -251 | |
| Japanese Revival Party | 6 942 353 | 11.64 | 14 | 12 262 228 | 20.50 | 40 | 54 | +43 | - | |
| Your party (VP) | 2 807 244 | 4.71 | four | 5,245,586 | 8.77 | 14 | 18 | +10 | +10 | |
| Party of the Future (ABY) | 2 992 365 | 5.02 | 2 | 3 423 915 | 5.72 | 7 | 9 | -52 | - | |
| Communist Party (CPJ) Nihon Kyosanto | 4,700,289 | 7.88 | 0 | 3 689 159 | 6.17 | eight | eight | -one | -one | |
| Social Democratic Party (PSD) Syakai Minsuto | 451 762 | 0.76 | one | 1,420,790 | 2,38 | one | 2 | -3 | -five | |
| New People's Party (NNP) Kokumin Shinto | 117 185 | 0.20 | one | 70,847 | 0.12 | 0 | one | -2 | -2 | |
| Japan's New Party (NPJ) Shinto Nippon | 315,604 | 0.53 | 0 | 346,848 | 0.58 | one | one | -2 | 0 | |
| Other parties | 165 331 | 0.28 | 0 | 350 931 | 0.59 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| All opposition parties | 32 090 906 | 53.82 | 49 | 36 078 957 | 60.31 | 101 | 150 | -180 | -249 | |
| Independent | 1 006 468 | 1,69 | five | - | five | -four | -one | |||
| Total | 59 626 564 | 100.00% | 300 | 59 819 888 | 100.00% | 180 | 480 | + 1 * | 0 | |
| Turnout | 59.32% | 59.31% | * (vacant seats) | |||||||
Notes
- ↑ Japan Prepares for Election With Ruling Party Poised for Defeat (November 14, 2012). Date of treatment November 14, 2012.
- ↑ Japanese Prime Minister admitted electoral defeat http://www.interfax.ru/politics/news.asp?id=281223
- ↑ Okada eyes Jan. dissolution of lower house , The Daily Yomuiri (July 30, 2012). Archived July 31, 2012. Date of treatment November 14, 2012.
- ↑ Harlan, Chico . In Japan, new taxes levy political toll on Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda , The Washington Post (August 18, 2012). Date of treatment August 20, 2012.
- ↑ "Japan's' third pole"
- ↑ "New political party to be named 'Tachiagare Nippon' (Stand up Japan)" (unavailable link) . Date of treatment December 12, 2012. Archived June 5, 2011.
- ↑ Japan Today / AP, " Ishihara, Hashimoto announce 'third force' in Japanese politics ," " Japan Today, " November 18, 2012
- ↑ Johnston, Eric, “ Nippon Ishin no Kai: Local but with national outlook, ” Japan Times , 3 October 2012, p. 3
- ↑ 衆院 選 2012: 衆院 選: 選 挙: YOMIURI ONLINE （読 売 新聞） (Japanese) . Yomiuri Shimbun (December 17, 2012). Date of treatment December 17, 2012. Archived December 19, 2012.