The Supreme Court on Wednesday endorsed the electoral system for the House of Councilors and the election of 2001, rejecting suits seeking to nullify the election over the system's alleged unconstitutionality.
The proportional representation system that allows voters to either choose candidates by name from party lists or simply vote for the parties themselves is constitutional, the 15-member court said in a unanimous decision.
The Supreme Court's first ruling on the system came in response to a suit by a group of Tokyo, Chiba and Kanagawa voters who claimed it failed to reflect the public will in violation of the Constitution, saying the selection of a candidate and that of a party should be considered different.