Constitutional scholar Setsu Kobayashi has failed in his attempt to gain a seat for his political group in the House of Councilors as part of efforts to block amendments to the Constitution, early returns showed.
The Kokumin Ikari no Koe (Angry Voice of the People), a group set up by 67-year-old Kobayashi, a professor emeritus at Keio University, was unable to win a seat under the proportional representation segment of the poll.
Appearing on a TV program late Sunday, Kobayashi said he ran in the election "to provide a way for debate on the Constitution" but acknowledged his message had apparently failed to get through to the voting public.