No solution in sight for the ``unconstitutional situation'': disparity in one vote in the House of Councilors, limits to joint constituencies

The Supreme Court ruled on the 11th that the July 2025 House of Councilors election, in which the ``one-vote disparity'' was at most 3.13 times, was ``unconstitutional.'' The effectiveness of combined districts, which was introduced as a measure to correct disparities, is beginning to show its limits, and the ruling and opposition parties will be forced to take action in the lead-up to the next House of Councilors election in the summer of 2028. Considering the length of time it will take for the new election system to be widely known, it is expected that legislation will need to be put in place by the extraordinary Diet session next fall at the latest. There is a wide gap between the claims of the ruling and opposition parties, and no solution is in sight.

Last year's House of Councilors election was ``unconstitutional'' 3.13 times higher, first after constituency merger - ``1 vote disparity'' ruling, Supreme Court Grand Bench

Liberal Democratic Party House of Councilors Secretary-General Kazuhiko Aoki told reporters, ``We will take the ruling seriously, analyze it, and draw a conclusion through careful discussion while keeping in mind the time until the next House of Councilors election.'' Mr. Aoki was elected from the joint Tottori-Shimane constituency. "The negative effects of combined districts are also reflected in the election results," he pointed out.

This is the first time since the 2013 election, when the disparity was at most 4.77 times, that the Supreme Court has ruled an Upper House election to be unconstitutional. In response to this, combined districts of ``Tottori/Shimane'' and ``Tokushima/Kochi'' were introduced in the 2016 House of Councilors election to correct disparities. Four elections have been held so far, but the target prefectures have faced issues such as a decline in voter turnout and an increase in invalid votes. A member of the House of Councilors elected from a joint district has criticized the system, saying, ``It's a system that neglects voters.''

The pace of population decline is faster than expected, and there is talk of the possibility of ``enclaves'' being created between non-adjacent prefectures. In contrast, proposals to combine Fukui and Ishikawa and Yamanashi and Nagano have been floated as ``unrealistic.'' Any of these proposals is bound to generate opposition from local communities and candidates. The Liberal Democratic Party aims to eliminate the combined districts by amending the constitution, but it seems extremely difficult to do so in time for the next House of Councilors election.

The introduction of a new electoral system is essential in order to both rectify disparities and eliminate the merger of constituencies. Although the ruling and opposition parties generally share the need to dissolve the combined districts, there are deep differences regarding the specific electoral system. The Liberal Democratic Party, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, and the Democratic People's Democratic Party insist on having electoral districts based on prefectures. On the other hand, the Japan Restoration Party, Komeito, and the Communist Party are calling for a bloc system that divides the country into multiple parts.

The House of Councilors Reform Council (chaired by Aoki Aoki), which is made up of members from both the ruling and opposition parties, plans to quickly consider the matter in detail. ``Considering the election preparation period, the time for debate will be quite limited,'' said a veteran Liberal Democratic Party member.