Japanese unified regional elections, 2011
Encyclopedia
The 17th unified regional elections (dai-jūnana-kai tōitsu chihō senkyo) in Japan
took place in April 2011. In the first phase on April 10, 2011 13 governors, 41 prefectural parliaments as well as five mayors and 15 councils in cities designated by government ordinance were elected. In the second phase on April 24, 2011 mayors and/or assemblies in hundreds of cities
, special wards
, towns and villages
were up for election. Additionally, a by-election for the national Diet was held in Aichi on April 24.
Among the elections that attracted national attention in 2011 were the gubernatorial races in Tokyo and Kanagawa and the prefectural assembly elections in Aichi and Osaka where new local parties threatened the position of the established parties.
had a weak position in prefectures and municipalities. In February 2011, the Kan cabinet faced extremely low approval ratings, a "twisted Diet" with opposition control of the upper house and a possible government shutdown in 2011 if it fails to get budget-related bills through the Diet for fiscal 2011. It also faced calls for an early general election
from the opposition led by the Liberal Democratic Party
. In the run-up to the unified regional elections the Democrats lost several high profile local contests including the Fukuoka
mayoral election on November 14, 2010, the Okinawa gubernatorial election on November 28, 2010 and the so-called "triple vote" in Aichi on February 6, 2011 (triple tōhyō: gubernatorial election in Aichi, mayoral election in Nagoya, Aichi and recall referendum for the Nagoya city council).
After the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
in March, prefectural and municipal elections in the most affected prefectures of Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima and municipal (mayor and council) elections in Mito, Ibaraki were temporarily postponed. The elections for governor and assembly of Iwate were held on September 11, 2011. The parliamentary elections in Miyagi and Fukushima are scheduled for November 2011 (Miyagi: November 13; Fukushima: November 20).
Elections with national media coverage included the mayoral races in the prefectural capitals Tsu, Nagasaki, Ōita and Takamatsu, in several Tokyo wards (Engrish: cities), in the bankrupt city of Yubari, Hokkaidō and in Suita, Ōsaka where Tetsuya Inoue recorded another victory for the Ōsaka Ishin no Kai.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
took place in April 2011. In the first phase on April 10, 2011 13 governors, 41 prefectural parliaments as well as five mayors and 15 councils in cities designated by government ordinance were elected. In the second phase on April 24, 2011 mayors and/or assemblies in hundreds of cities
Cities of Japan
||A is a local administrative unit in Japan. Cities are ranked on the same level as and , with the difference that they are not a component of...
, special wards
Special wards of Tokyo
The are 23 municipalities that together make up the core and the most populous part of Tokyo, Japan. Together, they occupy the land that was the city of Tokyo before it was abolished in 1943. The special wards' structure was established under the Japanese Local Autonomy Law and is unique to...
, towns and villages
Villages of Japan
A is a local administrative unit in Japan.It is a local public body along with , , and . Geographically, a village's extent is contained within a prefecture....
were up for election. Additionally, a by-election for the national Diet was held in Aichi on April 24.
Among the elections that attracted national attention in 2011 were the gubernatorial races in Tokyo and Kanagawa and the prefectural assembly elections in Aichi and Osaka where new local parties threatened the position of the established parties.
Background
The nationally ruling Democratic Party under the leadership of Naoto KanNaoto Kan
is a Japanese politician, and former Prime Minister of Japan. In June 2010, then-Finance Minister Kan was elected as the leader of the Democratic Party of Japan and designated Prime Minister by the Diet to succeed Yukio Hatoyama. On 26 August 2011, Kan announced his resignation...
had a weak position in prefectures and municipalities. In February 2011, the Kan cabinet faced extremely low approval ratings, a "twisted Diet" with opposition control of the upper house and a possible government shutdown in 2011 if it fails to get budget-related bills through the Diet for fiscal 2011. It also faced calls for an early general election
Next Japanese general election
The next Japanese general election is due to take place on or before Friday 30 August 2013, a barring by Constitution of Japan. It will see voting take place in all Representatives constituencies of Japan including proportional blocks, in order to appoint Members of Diet to seats in the House of...
from the opposition led by the Liberal Democratic Party
Liberal Democratic Party (Japan)
The , frequently abbreviated to LDP or , is a centre-right political party in Japan. It is one of the most consistently successful political parties in the democratic world. The LDP ruled almost continuously for nearly 54 years from its founding in 1955 until its defeat in the 2009 election...
. In the run-up to the unified regional elections the Democrats lost several high profile local contests including the Fukuoka
Fukuoka
Fukuoka most often refers to the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture.It can also refer to:-Locations:* Fukuoka, Gifu, a town in Gifu Prefecture, Japan* Fukuoka, Toyama, a town in Toyama Prefecture, Japan...
mayoral election on November 14, 2010, the Okinawa gubernatorial election on November 28, 2010 and the so-called "triple vote" in Aichi on February 6, 2011 (triple tōhyō: gubernatorial election in Aichi, mayoral election in Nagoya, Aichi and recall referendum for the Nagoya city council).
After the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
The 2011 earthquake off the Pacific coast of Tohoku, also known as the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, or the Great East Japan Earthquake, was a magnitude 9.0 undersea megathrust earthquake off the coast of Japan that occurred at 14:46 JST on Friday, 11 March 2011, with the epicenter approximately east...
in March, prefectural and municipal elections in the most affected prefectures of Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima and municipal (mayor and council) elections in Mito, Ibaraki were temporarily postponed. The elections for governor and assembly of Iwate were held on September 11, 2011. The parliamentary elections in Miyagi and Fukushima are scheduled for November 2011 (Miyagi: November 13; Fukushima: November 20).
Elections on April 10
- Gubernatorial elections in
- Hokkaidō: Incumbent Harumi TakahashiHarumi Takahashiis the present governor of the Japanese prefecture of Hokkaidō. She graduated from Hitotsubashi University in 1976. She started her career as a bureaucrat in Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and quit in 2003....
won reelection against DPJ-supported Toshiaki Kimura and two other contenders - Tokyo: Shintarō IshiharaShintaro Ishiharais a Japanese author, actor, politician and the governor of Tokyo since 1999.- Early life and artistic career :Shintarō was born in Suma-ku, Kobe. His father Kiyoshi was an employee, later a general manager, of a shipping company. Shintarō grew up in Zushi...
with unofficial backing form Liberal Democratic Party and Justice Party won a fourth term against former Miyazaki governor Hideo Higashikokubaru and entrepreneur Miki Watanabe who was supported by the DPJ prefectural parliamentary group. - Kanagawa: Yūji Kuroiwa won with unofficial support from both major parties; incumbent Shigefumi MatsuzawaShigefumi Matsuzawais the governor of Kanagawa Prefecture in Japan. A native of Kawasaki, Kanagawa and graduate of Keio University, he had served in the assembly of Kanagawa Prefecture for two terms since 1987 and in the House of Representatives in the Diet of Japan for three terms since 1993. He was first elected...
(formerly DPJ) had declared his candidacy for governor of Tokyo, but dropped out of the race after the Great East Japan Earthquake and Ishihara's decision to run for a fourth term. - Fukui: Incumbent Issei NishikawaIssei Nishikawais the governor of Fukui Prefecture in Japan. He was elected first in 2003. A native of Asahi, Fukui and graduate of Kyoto University, he joined the Ministry of Home Affairs in 1968.- External links :*...
won reelection against only one JCP-backed challenger. - Mie: Governor Akihiko NoroAkihiko Norois the governor of Mie Prefecture in Japan. A native of Iitaka, Mie, he attended Keio University for undergraduate study and received a master's degree from it. Before elected governor, he had served in the House of Representatives in the Diet for four terms since 1983 and as mayor of Matsusaka,...
retired. The LDP and smaller parties support former METI bureaucrat Eikei Suzuki who narrowly won the election against DPJ-supported Naohisa Matsuda, formerly mayor of Tsu. - Nara: Incumbent governor Shōgo AraiShogo Araiis the governor of Nara Prefecture in Japan, first elected in 2007. A graduate of the University of Tokyo, he joined the Ministry of Transport, attending Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs as a ministry official...
won reelection against Shunji Shiomi, president of the prefefctural doctors' association, and a JCP candidate. - Tottori: Shinji HiraiShinji Hiraiis the governor of Tottori Prefecture in Japan, first elected in 2007. He graduated from the University of Tokyo in 1984 and joined the Ministry of Home Affairs upon graduation.- External links :*...
was reelected for a second term against a JCP-backed challenger. - Shimane: Incumbent Zenbee Mizoguchi was reelected against only a JCP candidate after other candidates had dropped out of the race after the earthquake.
- Tokushima: Kamon IizumiKamon Iizumiis the governor of Tokushima Prefecture in Japan, first elected in 2007. A native of Osaka Prefecture and graduate of the University of Tokyo, he had worked at the Ministry of Home Affairs since 1984 before elected 'Governor of Tokushima Prefecture' in late 2003....
won reelection against JCP-supported challenger Chiyoko Yamamoto - Fukuoka: Incumbent Wataru AsōWataru Asois the former governor of Fukuoka Prefecture in Japan, first elected in 1995. From 2005-11 he was also President of the . A native of Kitakyūshū, Fukuoka and graduate of Kyoto University, he joined the Ministry of International Trade and Industry in 1963. He retired on the 22nd April 2011, and...
retired. The three largest parties LDP, DPJ and Kōmeitō supported former MITI bureaucrat Hiroshi OgawaHiroshi Ogawais a former Japanese pitcher of the Chiba Lotte Marines and murderer.On November 18, 2004, Ogawa murdered a 67-year-old woman Kazuko Nishiuchi. The murder shocked the Nippon Professional Baseball. His uniform number 26 has been retired since 2005 though the Chiba Lotte Marines did not say that the...
for governor. The only other candidate in the race, JCP candidate Takaaki Tamura, won almost 30 percent of the vote. - Saga: Incumbent Yasushi FurukawaYasushi Furukawais the governor of Saga Prefecture in Japan, first elected in 2003. A native of Karatsu, Saga, he graduated from the University of Tokyo in 1982 and entered the Ministry of Home Affairs upon graduation.- External links :*...
won a third term against only one JCP backed candidate. - Ōita: Against only one JCP challenger, governor Katsusada HiroseKatsusada Hiroseis the governor of Ōita Prefecture in Japan, first elected in 2003. A native of Hita, Ōita and graduate of the University of Tokyo, he had worked at the Ministry of International Trade and Industry since 1966 before elected governor.- External links :*...
was reelected.
- Hokkaidō: Incumbent Harumi Takahashi
- Assembly elections in all prefectures with the exceptions of Ibaraki, Tokyo and Okinawa (elections in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima postponed): The DPJ could not improve its weak position in prefectural parliaments. Despite some seat losses, the LDP remained strongest party in all assemblies with the exception of Osaka where governor Tōru HashimotoToru Hashimotois a Japanese lawyer and commentator on legal matters. He was the 52nd Governor of Osaka Prefecture and is the president of the Osaka Restoration Association...
's Ōsaka Ishin no Kai ("Osaka Restoration AssociationOsaka Restoration AssociationThe is a Japanese political party in Osaka Prefecture founded in 2010 by former TV personality and then-Governor Tōru Hashmoto to materilize for "One Osaka" and reduce affiliated organizations of Osaka Prefecture and the city of Osaka....
", EngrishEngrishrefers to unusual forms of English language usage by native speakers of some East Asian languages. The term itself relates to Japanese speakers' tendency to inadvertently substitute the English phonemes "R" and "L" for one another, because the Japanese language has one alveolar consonant in place...
: One Osaka) won an outright majority. In Aichi, Genzei Nippon ("Tax Cuts Japan"), came in as third largest party but failed to win many seats outside Nagoya city. Nationwide, JCP and SDP recorded losses, Yoshimi WatanabeYoshimi Watanabeis a Japanese politician, formerly of the Liberal Democratic Party and currently of the President of Your Party, a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet...
's Minna no Tō ("Everyone's party", Engrish: Your PartyYour Partyis a center-right Japanese political party. Led by Yoshimi Watanabe, who split from the Liberal Democratic Party , the party was founded on August 8, 2009 after then-Prime Minister Aso dissolved the lower house. A concept behind the party is to make the government more democratic, and to eliminate...
) gained seats in several parliaments including Watanabe's home prefecture of Tochigi where it became second largest party. - Mayoral elections in
- Sapporo, Hokkaidō: DPJ-backed Fumio UedaFumio Uedais the mayor of Sapporo, Hokkaido in Japan. A native of Makubetsu, Hokkaidō and 1972 graduate of Chuo University, he was first elected in 2003 after an unsuccessful run in the same year prior to being elected....
reelected for a third term - Sagamihara, Kanagawa: One-term mayor Toshio KayamaToshio Kayamais the mayor of Sagamihara, Kanagawa in Japan. He was first elected in 2007.- References :...
reelected - Shizuoka, Shizuoka: Zenkichi KojimaZenkichi Kojimawas the mayor of Shizuoka, Shizuoka in Japan until April, 2011, when he was succeeded by Tanabe Nobuhiro. A graduate of the University of Tokyo, he was first elected mayor in 1998 after serving in the assembly of Shizuoka Prefecture for three terms....
retired. Former prefectural assemblyman Nobuhiro Tanabe won with LDP support. - Hamamatsu, Shizuoka: Without a challenger, mayor Yasutomo SuzukiYasutomo Suzukiis the mayor of Hamamatsu, Shizuoka in Japan. A 1980 graduate of Keio University, he was first elected mayor in 2007 after serving in the House of Representatives in Diet for two terms.- External links :*...
was reelected without vote. - Hiroshima, Hiroshima: Six candidates sought to succeed retiring mayor Tadatoshi AkibaTadatoshi Akibais a Japanese politician and served as the mayor of the city of Hiroshima, Japan from 1999 to 2011.- Early life :He studied mathematics at the University of Tokyo, receiving a B.S. in 1966 and an M.S. in 1968. He continued his studies under John Milnor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology,...
. With LDP and Kōmeitō support Kazumi MatsuiKazumi Matsuiis the mayor of Hiroshima, Japan.Matsui was born in Hiroshima, son to a Hibakusha father.He won the mayoral election held in the unified local elections on April 10, 2011. In his bid for the Mayoral position, he was supported by the Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito.-External links:* *...
won.
- Sapporo, Hokkaidō: DPJ-backed Fumio Ueda
- Council elections in all cites designated by government ordinance with the exceptions of Shizuoka, Nagoya and Kitakyūshū (election in Sendai postponed). In both of Osaka's cites designated by government ordinance, Osaka and Sakai, governor Tōru Hashimoto's Ōsaka Ishin no Kai became strongest party. The DPJ won a plurality of seats in the Sapporo council; in most other cities the LDP remained strongest party (though independents form the majority in several smaller cities). Yoshimi Watanabe's Minna no Tō won seats in several councils.
Elections on April 24
- By-election for the Diet: House of Representatives, Aichi 6th districtAichi 6th districtAichi 6th district is a constituency of the House of Representatives in the Diet of Japan . It is located in Northwestern Aichi and consists of the cities of Kasugai, Inuyama and Komaki, part of the Chūkyō Metropolitan Area around Nagoya...
- Mayoral elections in 88 cities, 13 special wards and 132 towns and villages (includes postponed elections)
- Council elections in 305 cities, 21 special wards and 404 towns and villages (includes postponed elections)
Elections with national media coverage included the mayoral races in the prefectural capitals Tsu, Nagasaki, Ōita and Takamatsu, in several Tokyo wards (Engrish: cities), in the bankrupt city of Yubari, Hokkaidō and in Suita, Ōsaka where Tetsuya Inoue recorded another victory for the Ōsaka Ishin no Kai.
External links
- Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communication, elections department: Statistics for the 2011 unified regional elections, links to prefectural electoral commissions
Election features by national news media
- NHK
- Yomiuri Shimbun
- Asahi Shimbun: My Town Asahi
- Jiji Press: election schedule
- 47 News