Voter turnout in the first round of the quadrennial unified elections hit an all-time low Sunday in both the 10 gubernatorial races and the 41 prefectural assembly polls.
Turnout for the gubernatorial elections, ranging from Hokkaido to Oita, was 47.14 percent, falling below 50 percent for the first time ever.
Turnout for the 41 prefectural assembly elections also set a record low as 45.05 percent of voters went to the polls, down from 48.15 percent in the previous round, in 2011.
The lack of interest reflects public apathy. In many races, the incumbents were jointly backed by the ruling and opposition parties. Distrust of political parties and local assemblies was also seen a contributing factor.
Women, however, managed to make gains Sunday as 207, or 54.6 percent of all female candidates, won seats in prefectural assemblies. That's up 2.7 percent from 2007, when 190 women were elected.
Women accounted for 9.1 percent of all winners on Sunday.
By party, the Japanese Communist Party led in female assembly members with 58, followed by 45 for the Democratic Party of Japan, 37 for the Liberal Democratic Party and 15 for Komeito.
Female candidates who were unaffiliated with any party numbered 40.
By prefecture, Kanagawa produced the biggest number of female assembly members, with 17. Next were Hokkaido with 13, Kyoto with 12, and Saitama and Hyogo with 10 each.
Yamanashi, Ehime and Saga prefectures produced only one female prefectural assembly member each.
