Wasted votes accounted for about 50 percent of votes cast

Japan Press Weekly

Japan Press Service Co., Ltd. is the only news agency providing information of progressive, democratic movements in Japan

Wasted votes accounted for about 50 percent of votes cast

In the recent House of Representatives election, a huge number of votes were wasted under the single-seat constituency system.

In the House of Representatives, 300 out of 480 seats are from single-seat constituencies. The remaining 180 are elected in proportional representation blocs.

In single-seat constituencies, 32.7 million out of 70.5 million votes cast were for candidates that were not elected.

The rate of wasted votes was 50 percent or higher in 87 out of 300 single-seat constituencies.

The nation's highest rate of wasted votes was registered at 67.5 percent in a constituency in Kochi Prefecture.

In all single-seat constituencies, the Democratic Party of Japan polled 33.48 million votes (47.4 percent of all vote casts) and obtained 212 seats (73.7 percent).

The Liberal Democratic Party, which received 27.3 million votes (38.6 percent), won 64 seats (21.3 percent).

No Japanese Communist Party candidate in single-seat constituencies was elected although it received a total of 2.98 votes (4.2 percent).

If all 480 House of Representatives members were elected under the proportional representation system, the DPJ would receive 204 seats, 104 seats less, with 42.4 percent of the total vote casts. The LDP's seats would be 128 (+ 9) with 26.7 percent. The JCP's Lower House members would be 34 (+ 25) with 7 percent, and the Social Democratic Party would secure 21 seats (+ 14) with 4.3 percent.

- Akahata, September 7, 2009