Search - proportional-representation

 
 
JAPAN
Jun 21, 2000

LDP set to increase majority as partners falter, poll shows

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party is likely to win more than 260 of the 480 Lower House seats up for grabs in the June 25 general election, according to the results of a Kyodo News poll released Tuesday.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 16, 2016

Blame British Empire for U.S. Electoral College

The accident of British colonial charters gave rise to America's electoral college system — and the great difficulty of amending it.
EDITORIALS
Dec 28, 2015

Time for serious electoral reform

Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers from rural areas are already gearing up to fight much-needed electoral reform to reduce the vote disparity between rural and urban areas.
JAPAN / Politics / DECISION 2014
Dec 15, 2014

Election results a mix of good and bad for Hashimoto's Ishin no To

For Ishin no To (Japan Innovation Party), the Lower House election was a mixture of good and bad as the party held onto virtually all of its seats , courtesy of the proportional representation system, amid predictions it would lose big.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Apr 23, 2013

Is legislation weighty enough to rebalance election system?

While the Cabinet of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe enjoys high support rates, hovering around 70 percent, its very legitimacy is being questioned.
JAPAN
Jun 22, 2022

Upper House campaigning begins with opposition focused on economy

A strong showing for the LDP would allow the prime minister to put his own stamp on both the ruling party and the direction of the country.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Nov 1, 2021

The LDP won the Lower House election, but it has few reasons to celebrate

Despite achieving a strong majority of its own, high-profile upsets and a reduced ruling coalition seat count have taken the edge off victory.
EDITORIALS
Jun 16, 2018

Partisan electoral system reform

The LDP's latest proposal for narrowing the vote-disparity gap prioritizes its own interests.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Oct 23, 2017

Much of LDP's success rests in electoral system itself

The campaign is over, and now judgment time has come: Who were the winners and losers in Sunday's Lower House election?
EDITORIALS
Mar 18, 2014

Overhaul the electoral systems

Diet members need to set their sights on overhauling the electoral systems for both houses before the next national election and explore what kinds of systems would better suit the different roles of each chamber.
EDITORIALS
Aug 31, 2012

Diet business at an impasse

Diet business has reached paralysis as the opposition forces on Wednesday passed a censure motion against Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda. Following passage of the motion, the opposition forces plan to boycott all the deliberations in both houses of the Diet on bills submitted by the government.
JAPAN
Feb 19, 2011

DPJ revolt shows signs of growing

The rebellion against Naoto Kan is far from over and a few more lawmakers are likely to get on the bandwagon, a Democratic Party of Japan source said Friday, fueling speculation the uprising within the party could force the prime minister to step down.
JAPAN
May 13, 2010

Parties pin poll hopes on sports star power

The summer Upper House election is looking increasingly like an athletic competition as both ruling and opposition parties field sports stars to woo independent voters.
COMMENTARY / World
May 12, 2010

A dangerous deficit of democracy in Britain

HONG KONG — In spite of the United Kingdom's robust and rumbustious election campaign, once the votes were counted and the winning members of Parliament (MPs) were declared, it was clear that the U.K. is suffering a dangerous and growing democratic deficit.
JAPAN / Q&A
Aug 19, 2009

Ultimately, it all comes down to numbers

All signs seem to indicate Prime Minister Taro Aso and his Liberal Democratic Party-New Komeito ruling coalition face a tough battle in trying to hold onto their Lower House majority in the Aug. 30 election.
JAPAN
Aug 19, 2009

Focus for many is on how big DPJ win might be

Most observers are betting the Democratic Party of Japan will win the Aug. 30 Lower House election, with their focus now on just how big the DPJ's victory will be.
JAPAN
Sep 9, 2005

Seiko Noda and Yukari Sato in desperate battle in Gifu

GIFU -- A showdown between two female candidates has all eyes fixed on this sleepy conservative city in the Chubu region.
JAPAN
Aug 20, 2005

New Komeito backs LDP reformers, rules out DPJ

New Komeito leader Takenori Kanzaki said Friday his party will stay the course and fully back the Liberal Democratic Party in the Sept. 11 general election because of its stance on reform.
JAPAN
Nov 11, 2003

LDP may win majority in July race: simulation

The governing Liberal Democratic Party is expected to maintain its majority in the House of Councilors in the Upper House election in July.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 29, 2003

Election campaign under way

Campaigning kicked off Tuesday for the Nov. 9 general election, with a total of 1,159 candidates tossing their hats into the ring.
JAPAN
Oct 10, 2003

LDP has last laugh as reform plan crumbles

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi compromised with his Liberal Democratic Party on Thursday and agreed to leave the timing of the privatization of the nation's postal services ambiguous in the party's campaign policy.
COMMENTARY
Jul 2, 2002

Pork-barreling still rampant

Lower House member Muneo Suzuki was recently arrested by the Tokyo District Prosecutor's Office on charges of accepting a bribe in an influence-peddling scandal. Following the arrest, the Lower House approved a nonbinding motion demanding Suzuki resign as a lawmaker. This was the second such motion approved,...
COMMENTARY
Jan 26, 2001

Plagued by scandal yet again

Fukushiro Nukaga was forced to resign Tuesday as minister for economic and fiscal policy over allegations that he received 15 million yen from the mutual-aid organization KSD in return for favors. Nukaga denied accepting the money himself but admitted that one of his secretaries had received it. He said...
Japanese Communist Party leader Tomoko Tamura speaks at a Lower House session in Tokyo in December 2024.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 23, 2025

Japanese Communist Party's Tomoko Tamura faces leadership questions ahead of polls

Tamura is aiming for 6.5 million proportional representation votes, but experts say that's unrealistic.

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji