The first stage of the 18th unified local elections (第18回統一地方選挙, dai-jūhachi-kai tōitsu chihō senkyo) in Japan took place on April 12, 2015. The Liberal Democratic Party under leadership of Shinzo Abe was the overall victor, winning many races including all ten gubernatorial races[1] and 1,153 of the 2,284 assembly seats at stake.[2] Further elections for municipal mayors and assemblies took place on April 26.[3]

In addition to indicating support for the Abe government, the elections were also seen as a referendum on the Japan Innovation Party, and particularly on Osaka mayor Toru Hashimoto's plan to restructure the Osaka prefectural government.[4]

In the first stage, average turnout was estimated at 47.14%, the lowest in the history of Japanese unified elections and the first time that average turnout in unified elections fell below 50%. The total number of prefectural and designated city assembly candidates was also the lowest in history at 3,272, 501 of which (21.9% of seats) ran unopposed.[5] The Democratic Party of Japan fielded 345 candidates, 40% less than the number fielded in the 2011 local elections.[6] Chiba Prefecture had the lowest overall turnout rate at 37%.[2] In the second stage, a record low 9,519 candidates ran for 7,682 seats, and a record high 3.6% of assembly seats were won by default.[7]

Results

Governors

Prefecture Party Candidate Votes %
Fukui Prefecture Independent Issei Nishikawa 242,544 80.4
Communist Party Yukie Kanemoto 59,115 19.6
Fukuoka Prefecture Independent Hiroshi Ogawa 1,260,405 81.6
Independent Tomikazu Goto 284,692 18.4
Hokkaido Independent Harumi Takahashi 1,496,915 56.6
Independent Noriyuki Sato 1,146,573 43.4
Kanagawa Prefecture Independent Yuji Kuroiwa 2,195,764 76.7
Independent Hajime Okamoto 665,751 23.3
Mie Prefecture Independent Eikei Suzuki 603,697 85.7
Independent Shinichi Fuji 100,860 14.3
Nara Prefecture Independent Shōgo Arai 283,432 50.2
Independent Makoto Yamashita 227,687 40.3
Communist Party Kazuhiro Tanigawa 39,127 6.9
Independent Takahiko Iwasaki 14,903 2.6
Ōita Prefecture Independent Katsusada Hirose 342,583 62.2
Independent Ban Kugimiya 178,277 32.4
Communist Party Kai Yamashita 26,214 4.8
Independent Takaaki Miisako 2,091 0.4
Independent Yatsuo Ikezaki 1,855 0.3
Shimane Prefecture Independent Zenbee Mizoguchi 268,284 80.5
Communist Party Hiromi Bandai 65,088 19.5
Tokushima Prefecture Independent Kamon Iizumi 201,364 80.2
Communist Party Michiyo Furata 49,562 19.8
Tottori Prefecture Independent Shinji Hirai 234,291 88.8
Independent Naoyuki Iwanaga 29,425 11.2
Source: Yomiuri Shimbun

2015 was the first year that Tokyo did not elect a governor in the unified elections, as the elections in 2012 (following Shintaro Ishihara's resignation) and 2014 (following Naoki Inose's resignation) moved Tokyo's gubernatorial election cycle away from the unified election cycle.

Mayoral elections

Assembly elections

See also

References

  1. ^ Hongo, Jun (12 April 2015). "Abe's Liberal Democratic Party Prevails in Japan's Local Elections". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
  2. ^ a b Obe, Mitsuru (13 April 2015). "Japan Regional Polls See Record Low Turnout". The Wall Street Journal Japan Real Time. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
  3. ^ "2015統一地方選". The Asahi Shimbun. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
  4. ^ a b c d "LDP-backed governors win in Hokkaido, Oita, giving boost to Abe". Nikkei Asian Review. Kyodo. 13 April 2015. Archived from the original on 13 April 2015. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
  5. ^ "統一地方選前半、投票率過去最低に". Nihon Keizai Shimbun. 13 April 2015. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
  6. ^ "All 10 ruling coalition-backed incumbents re-elected in governor races". The Asahi Shimbun. 12 April 2015. Archived from the original on 13 July 2015. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
  7. ^ a b "統一地方選 市区長・市区議選告示". NHK. 19 April 2015. Archived from the original on 20 April 2015. Retrieved 19 April 2015.
  8. ^ "札幌市長、秋元氏が初当選　12年ぶり新市長". Nihon Keizai Shimbun. 12 April 2015. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
  9. ^ Otake, Tomoko (27 April 2015). "Unified elections help diversify representation in Tokyo". Japan Times. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  10. ^ "大阪維新、府・市議選で第１党は維持　都構想への賛否拮抗". Nihon Keizai Shimbun. 13 April 2015. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
  11. ^ 成田, 太昭 (13 April 2015). "熊本市議選、南区で得票同数　１４日に当選者くじ引きに". The Asahi Shimbun. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
  12. ^ Osumi, Magdalena (23 April 2015). "Right-wing candidate's nude campaign poster skirts election law". Japan Times. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  13. ^ "2 hearing-impaired women win assembly seats in Sunday's polls". The Japan News. Yomiuri Shimbun. 27 April 2015. Archived from the original on 28 April 2015. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
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