2016 Japanese House of Councillors election

The 24th regular election of members of the House of Councillors (dai-nijūyon-kai Sangiin giin tsūjō senkyo, 第24回参議院議員通常選挙) was held on Sunday 10 July 2016 to elect 121 of the 242 members of the House of Councillors, the upper house of the 717-member bicameral National Diet of Japan, for a term of six years. As a result of the election, the LDP/Komeito coalition gained ten seats for a total of 146 (60.3% of all seats in the house), the largest coalition achieved since the size of the house was set at 242 seats.[1]

2016 Japanese House of Councillors election

10 July 2016
121 (of the 242) seats in the House of Councillors 122 seats needed for a majority
First party Second party Third party   Leader Shinzō Abe Katsuya Okada Natsuo Yamaguchi Party Liberal Democratic Democratic Komeito Leader since 26 September 2012 14 December 2014 8 September 2009 Last election 115 seats, 34.7% New party 20 seats, 14.2% Seats after 121 49 25 Seat change 6 11 5 Popular vote 20,114,833 11,751,009 7,572,973 Percentage 35.9% 21.0% 13.5% Swing 1.2% N/A 0.7%   Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party   Leader Kazuo Shii Ichirō Matsui Kyoko Nakayama Party Communist Ishin Japanese Kokoro Leader since 24 November 2000 2 November 2015 21 December 2015 Last election 11 seats, 9.7% New party New party Seats after 14 12 3 Seat change 3 5 0 Popular vote 6,016,245 5,153,684 734,024 Percentage 10.7% 9.2% 1.3% Swing 1.0% N/A N/A   Seventh party Eighth party   Leader Tadatomo Yoshida Ichirō Ozawa Party Social Democratic People's Life Leader since 14 October 2013 25 January 2013 Last election 3 seats, 2.4% 2 seats, 1.8% Seats after 2 2 Seat change 1 1 Popular vote 1,536,238 1,067,300 Percentage 2.7% 1.9% Swing 0.3% 0.1%
President of the House of Councillors before election Masaaki Yamazaki Liberal Democratic Elected President of the House of Councillors Masaaki Yamazaki Liberal Democratic

76 members were elected by single non-transferable vote (SNTV) and first-past-the-post (FPTP) voting in 45 multi- and single-member prefectural electoral districts; for the first time, there were two combined (gōku) single-member districts consisting of two prefectures each, Tottori-Shimane and Tokushima-Kōchi. This change and several other reapportionments were part of an electoral reform law passed by the Diet in July 2015 designed to reduce the maximum ratio of malapportionment in the House of Councillors below 3.[2][3] The nationwide district which elects 48 members by D'Hondt proportional representation with most open lists remained unchanged.

This election was the first national election since the 2015 change to the Public Offices Election Act, which allowed people from 18 years of age to vote in national, prefectural and municipal elections and in referendums. The legal voting age prior to the change was 20.[4]

Background

The term of members elected in the 2010 regular election (including those elected in subsequent by-elections or as runners-up) ends on July 25, 2016. Under the "Public Offices Election Act" (kōshoku-senkyo-hō), the regular election must be held within 30 days before that date, or under certain conditions if the Diet is in session or scheduled to open at that time, between 24 and 30 days after the closure of the session and thus potentially somewhat after the actual end of term.[5] The election date was July 10 with the deadline for nominations and the start of legal campaigning 18 days before the election (i.e. June 22).[6]

Prior to the election, the Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner Komeito controlled a two-thirds super-majority of seats in the House of Representatives but did not control a similar super-majority of seats in the House of Councillors, necessary to initiate amendments of the Constitution of Japan.[7] In order to deny a super-majority to the LDP and other pro-amendment parties, the parties opposed to amending the constitution (Democratic Party, Japanese Communist Party, Social Democratic Party and People's Life Party) agreed to field a single candidate in each single-seat district, leading to a number of one-on-one races between the LDP and an opposition candidate (most of which the LDP ultimately won).[8] Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, historically a vocal proponent of constitutional revision, generally avoided discussing the constitution during the campaign, instead focusing on his "Abenomics" economic policies.[9]

On the eve of the election, Gerald Curtis described the race as "one of the dullest in recent memory," pointing out that "never in Japan's postwar history has the political opposition been as enfeebled as it is now... That's why widespread public disappointment with the government's economic policies hasn't hurt Mr. Abe politically. The prevailing sentiment is that he has done better than his predecessors, and replacing him with another LDP leader, let alone an opposition coalition government, would only make matters worse—especially now that the global economy is in turmoil."[10]

Pre-election composition

As of the official announcement (kōji, the candidate registration deadline and when the campaign starts) on 22 June (count by Yomiuri Shimbun):[11]

↓
37	59	8	2	1	9	50	11	65
O not up	Main opposition seats up	RO	RO up	V	K up	LDP seats up	K	LDP seats not up

In the class of members facing re-election, the ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and Kōmeitō had a combined 60 of 121 seats, slightly short of a majority (as of June 2016).[12] The main opposition Democratic Party held 47 seats.[12] As the coalition held 77 seats not being contested at this election, they only needed to retain 44 seats in the election to maintain their majority in the House. The LDP, which held 117 seats alone, had to gain five seats to reach a majority of its own and make the coalition with Kōmeitō unnecessary. In the other direction, the governing coalition would have to lose 16 seats or more to forfeit its overall majority in the House of Councillors and face a technically divided Diet. However, as independents and minor opposition groups might be willing to support the government on a regular basis without inclusion in the cabinet, the losses required to face an actual divided Diet may have been much higher. If the Diet were divided after the election, the coalition's two-thirds majority in the House of Representatives could still override the House of Councillors and pass legislation, but certain Diet decisions, notably the approval of certain nominations by the cabinet such as public safety commission members or Bank of Japan governor, would require the cooperation of at least part of the opposition or an expansion of the ruling coalition.

Among the members facing re-election were House of Councillors President Masaaki Yamazaki (LDP, Fukui), Vice President Azuma Koshiishi (DPJ, Yamanashi), Justice Minister Mitsuhide Iwaki (LDP, Fukushima) and Okinawa and Science Minister Aiko Shimajiri (LDP, Okinawa).

Policy effects

The election gave a two-thirds super-majority in the upper house to the four parties in favor of constitutional revision. After the election, Abe publicly acknowledged that constitutional revision would be "not so easy" and said "I expect the discussion will be deepened." The Chinese government voiced concern about the result, while South Korean newspaper Munhwa Ilbo opined that the election results "opened the door for a Japan that can go to war."[9]

Abe announced a major economic stimulus package following the election, leading to a spike in the Japanese stock markets.[13]

District reapportionment

See also: List of districts of the House of Councillors of Japan

The following districts saw a change in their representation within the House at this election. One set of reforms were introduced in 2012 and first took effect at the 2013 election; the districts affected by the 2015 reforms are shaded.

District	Magnitude	Notes
Hokkaidō	3	Increased from 2
Miyagi	1	Decreased from 2
Fukushima	1	2 incumbents in outgoing class (reapportioned in 2012)
Tokyo	6	Increased from 5
Kanagawa	4	3 incumbents in outgoing class (reapportioned in 2012)
Niigata	1	Decreased from 2
Nagano	1	Decreased from 2
Gifu	1	2 incumbents in outgoing class (reapportioned in 2012)
Aichi	4	Increased from 3
Osaka	4	3 incumbents in outgoing class (reapportioned in 2012)
Hyogo	3	Increased from 2
Tottori-Shimane	1	Created from the merger of the single-member Tottori and Shimane districts
Tokushima-Kōchi	1	Created from the merger of the single-member Tokushima and Kochi districts
Fukuoka	3	Increased from 2

Opinion Polls

Date	by	Ruling Coalition		Ruling Coal. total	Opposition									Source
		LDP	KM		DP	JCP	IFO	SDP	PLP	PJK	NRP	Oth.	Ind.
July 5–6	Asahi	56	14	70	30	7	8	1	0	0	0	0	5	[14]
July 3–5	Kyodo & Tokyo	58	14	72	27	10	6	1	0	0	0	0	5	[15]
July 3–5	Kyodo	60	14	74	27	9	6	1	0	0	0	0	4	[16] [17]
July 3–5	Nikkei	49–65	10–15	59–80	19–38	7–15	4–8	0–1	0–1	0	0	2–7		[18]
July 3–5	Yomiuri	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	[19]
July 1–3	Sankei & FNN	59	12	71	28	10	7	1	0	0	0	0	4	[20]
July 1–3	Dwango & Line	55	14	69	27	10	8	1	1	0	0	0	5	[21]
July 1–3	Jiji	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	[22]
June 22 – July 3	Yahoo!	61	10	71	26	11	8	5						[23]
June 22–23	Asahi	57	14	71	30	8	7	1	0	0	0	0	4	[24][25]
June 22–23	Mainichi	58–65	12–14	70–79	22–31	7–12	5–8	0–1	0	0	0	0	2–3	[26][27]
June 22–23	Kyodo	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	[28][29]
June 22–23	Nikkei	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	[30]
June 22–23	Yomiuri	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	[31]
June 4–21	Yahoo!	57	11	68	24	16	10	3						[23]
June 17–19	Dwango & Line	57	14	71	25	10	8	1	1	0	0	0	5	[21]

Approval (blue) and Disapproval (red) Ratings for Second and Third Abe Cabinet

Notable results

• A record 28 women picked up seats in the election (compared to 26 in 2007 and 22 in 2013).[32] Among them, actress Junko Mihara won a seat representing Kanagawa Prefecture for the LDP.[33]
• Yoshimi Watanabe, former leader of Your Party, returned to the Diet in this election, winning a seat as part of Osaka Ishin no Kai.[34]
• Justice minister Mitsuhide Iwaki lost his seat in Fukushima Prefecture to an opposition-supported candidate.[35]
• Aiko Shimajiri, state minister for Okinawan affairs, lost her seat to former Ginowan, Okinawa mayor Yoichi Iha, a critic of the US military presence in Okinawa supported by a coalition of opposition parties. This was viewed by some analysts as a setback for the proposed relocation of Marine Corps Air Station Futenma.[35][36]
• Former Olympic volleyball player Kentaro Asahi won a seat representing the Tokyo at-large district for the LDP.[37]
• On the same day, journalist Satoshi Mitazono defeated incumbent Yuichiro Ito in a gubernatorial election in Kagoshima Prefecture. Mitazono campaigned on a platform focused on suspension of the Sendai Nuclear Power Plant.[38]

Results

↓
37	44	8	7	14	56	11	65
O not up	O won	RO	RO won	K won	LDP seats won[nb 1]	K	LDP seats not up[nb 2]

Important thresholds:

• Majority (ensures certain passage of legislation, approval of nominations) at 122 seats – LDP at 121 in the election result (at 122 several days later)
• Two-thirds supermajority (can initiate a referendum on changes to the constitution) at 162 – Election result: Ruling parties at 146, government+revisionist opposition parties at 161, government+government-aligned independents [count by Asahi][39]+revisionist opposition at 164
• One third (can block changes to the constitution) at 81 – Core anti-revisionist opposition (DP, JCP, SDP, PLP, OSMP, opposition-aligned [count by Asahi][39] independents) at 73
• Initiating budget-related Private member's bills (i.e. bills not sponsored by the cabinet): 20 seats – met in the opposition only by DP (also the only opposition party that meets the 50-seat threshold in the House of Representatives)
• Initiating other PMBs, excluding budget-related measures: 10 seats, met in the opposition by DP, JCP and Ōsaka Ishin (DP and JCP also meet the 20-seat threshold in the House of Representatives)

 Summary of the 10 July 2016 Japanese House of Councillors election results[40][41][42]

Party				Pre-election			SNTV/FPTP majoritarian			D'Hondt proportional			Seats won	New total	Change from
				Total	Not up	Up	Votes[43]	%	Seats	Votes[43]	%	Seats			Before	2013	2010
	Ruling parties			135	76	59							69	145	+10	+10	+42
		Liberal Democratic Party	LDP	115	65	50	22,590,793	39.94 %	36	20,114,788	35.91 %	19	55	120	+5	+5	+36
		Komeito	K	20	11	9	4,263,422	7.54 %	7	7,572,960	13.52 %	7	14	25	+5	+5	+6
	Revisionist opposition parties			10	8	2							7	15	+5	(new +15) +6 from JRP	(new +15)
		Initiatives from Osaka		7	5	2	3,303,419	5.84 %	3	5,153,584	9.20 %	4	7	12	+5	(new +12)	(new +12)
		Party for Japanese Kokoro		3	3	0	535,517	0.95 %	0	734,024	1.31 %	0	0	3	0	(new +3)	(new +3) 0 from SPJ
	Anti-revisionist opposition parties (joint nominations in single-member districts)			79	27	52							40	67	-12	n/a	n/a
		Democratic Party	DP	62	17	45	14,215,956	25.14 %	21	11,751,015	20.98 %	11	32	49	-13	(new +49) -10 from DPJ	(new +49) -57 from DPJ
		Japanese Communist Party	JCP	11	8	3	4,103,514	7.26 %	1	6,016,195	10.74 %	5	6	14	+3	+3	+8
		People's Life Party	PLP	3	1	2	not contested independently			1,067,301	1.91 %	1	1	2	-1	-1	(new +2)
		Social Democratic Party	SDP	3	1	2	289,899	0.51 %	0	1,536,239	2.74 %	1	1	2	-1	-1	-2
	New Renaissance Party		NRP	2	0	2	60,431	0.11 %	0	580,653	1.04 %	0	0	0	-2	-1	-1
	Happiness Realization Party		HRP	0	0	0	963,585	1.70 %	0	366,815	0.65 %	0	0	0	0	0	-1
	Seitō shiji nashi ("no party supported")			0	0	0	127,367	0.23 %	0	647,071	1.16 %	0	0	0	0	(new 0)	(new 0)
	Angry voice of the people			0	0	0	82,357	0.15 %	0	466,706	0.83 %	0	0	0	0	(new 0)	(new 0)
	Others			0	0	0	279,681	0.49 %	0	not contested			0	0	n/a	n/a	n/a
	Assembly to Energize Japan		AEJ	3	2	1	not contested						0	2	-1	(new +2) -16 from YP	(new +2) -9 from YP
	Okinawa Social Mass Party		OSMP	1	1	0	not contested						0	1	0	0	0
	Independents (incl. some joint opposition-endorsed "independents" & 1 successful LDP-endorsed "independent")			11	7	4	5,739,452	10.15 %	5	n/a			5	12	+1	+9	+10
Total (valid votes)				241	121	120	56,555,393	100.00 %	73	56,007,353	100.00 %	48	121	242	+1 (vacant)	0	0
Turnout out of 106,202,873 eligible voters							58,094,005	54.70 %		58,085,678	54.69 %

Results by electoral district

Abbreviations and translations used in this table for (nominating – endorsing) parties:

• L – Liberal Democratic Party
• D – Democratic Party
• K – Komeito
• C - Japanese Communist Party
• S – Social Democratic Party
• I – Independent
• Osaka Ishin – Initiatives from Osaka
• PLP – People's Life Party
• Kokoro – Party for Japanese Kokoro
• AEJ – Assembly to Energize Japan
• NRP – New Renaissance Party
• NPD – New Party Daichi
• support no party – [Self-chosen name for English-speakers unknown],[44] domestically Shiji seitō nashi (支持政党なし)
• Angry voice of the people[45] (Kokumin ikari no koe)
• HRP – Happiness Realization Party

District	Magnitude	Incumbents	Winners & runner-up [+incumbents if lower] with vote share (/votes for PR members)	Gains & losses by party
Hokkaidō[46]	3 (+1)	Gaku Hasegawa (L) Eri Tokunaga (D)	Gaku Hasegawa (L – K) 25.5% Eri Tokunaga (D) 22.0% Yoshio Hachiro (D) 19.3% Katsuhiro Kakiki (L – K, NPD) 19.0%	D +1
Aomori[47]	1	Tsutomu Yamazaki (L)	Masayo Tanabu (D – S) 49.2% Tsutomu Yamazaki (L – K) 47.9%	L -1 D +1
Iwate[48]	1	Ryō Shuhama (D)	Eiji Kidoguchi (I – D, C, S, PLP) 53.3% Shin'ichi Tanaka (L – K) 41.0%	D -1 I (opposition) +1
Miyagi[49]	1 (-1)	Yutaka Kumagai (L) Mitsuru Sakurai (D)	Mitsuru Sakurai (D – C, S, PLP) 51.1% Yutaka Kumagai (L – K) 47.0%	L -1
Akita[50]	1	Hiroo Ishii (L)	Hiroo Ishii (L – K) 53.9% Daigo Matsuura (D – C, S) 44.0%
Yamagata[51]	1	Kōichi Kishi (L)	Yasue Funayama (I – D, S) 59.0% Kaoru Tsukino (L – K) 38.3%	L -1 I (opposition) +1
Fukushima[52]	1 (-1)	Teruhiko Mashiko (D) Mitsuhide Iwaki (L)	Teruhiko Mashiko (D – S) 50.5% Mitsuhide Iwaki (L – K) 47.2%	L -1
Ibaraki[53]	2	Hiroshi Okada (L) Akira Gunji (D)	Hiroshi Okada (L – K) 50.3% Akira Gunji (D) 25.3% Kyōko Kobayashi (C) 9.4%
Tochigi[54]	1	Michiko Ueno (L)	Michiko Ueno (L – K) 58.9% Takao Tanobe (I – D, C, S, PLP) 38.3%
Gunma[55]	1	Hirofumi Nakasone (L)	Hirofumi Nakasone (L – K) 66.0% Keinin Horikoshi (D – C, S) 31.1%
Saitama[56]	3	Masakazu Sekiguchi (L) Makoto Nishida (K) Motohiro Ōno (D)	Masakazu Sekiguchi (L) 29.2% Motohiro Ōno (D – PLP) 22.0% Makoto Nishida (K – L) 20.9% Gaku Itō (C – PLP) 15.8%
Chiba[57]	3	Hiroyuki Konishi (D) Kuniko Inoguchi (L) Ken'ichi Mizuno (D)	Kuniko Inoguchi (L – K) 29.2% Taiichirō Motoe (L – K) 22.1% Hiroyuki Konishi (D) 18.1% Fumiko Asano (C) 13.5% Ken'ichi Mizuno (D) 12.1%	D -1 L +1
Tokyo[58]	6 (+1)	Renhō (D) Toshiko Takeya (K) Masaharu Nakagawa (L) Toshio Ogawa (D) Kōta Matsuda (AEJ)	Renhō (D) 18.0% Masaharu Nakagawa (L) 14.2% Toshiko Takeya (K) 12.4% Taku Yamazoe (C) 10.7% Kentarō Asahi (L) 10.4% Toshio Ogawa (D) 8.2% Yasuo Tanaka (Osaka Ishin) 7.5% ... Kazuyuki Hamada[nb 3] (I) 0.5%	AEJ -1 L +1 C +1
Kanagawa[59]	4 (+1)	Akio Koizumi (L) Kenji Nakanishi (I) Yōichi Kaneko (D)	Junko Mihara (L) 24.5% Nobuhiro Miura (K – L) 15.3% Yūichi Mayama (D – PLP) 14.2% Kenji Nakanishi (I – L)[nb 4] 12.8% Yuka Asaka (C – PLP) 11.9% Yōichi Kaneko (D – PLP) 10.9%	K +1 I (government) joins L
Niigata[60]	1 (-1)	Naoki Tanaka (D) Yaichi Nakahara (L)	Yūko Mori (I – D, C, S, PLP) 49.0% Yaichi Nakahara (L – K) 48.8%	L -1 D -1 I (opposition) +1
Toyama[61]	1	Kōtarō Nogami (L)	Kōtarō Nogami (L – K) 69.2% Etsuko Dōyō (I – D, C, S, PLP) 27.4%
Ishikawa[62]	1	Naoki Okada (L)	Naoki Okada (L – K) 61.7% Miki Shibata (I – D, C, S, PLP) 36.0%
Fukui[63]	1	Masaaki Yamazaki (L)	Masaaki Yamazaki (L – K) 60.1% Tatsuhiro Yokoyama (I – D, S) 36.3%
Yamanashi[64]	1	Azuma Koshiishi (D)	Yuka Miyazawa (D – C, S) 43.0% Tsuyoshi Takano (L – K) 37.8%
Nagano[65]	1 (-1)	Kenta Wakabayashi (L) Toshimi Kitazawa (D)	Hideya Sugio (D – C, S) 52.5% Kenta Wakabayashi (L – K) 45.7%	L -1
Gifu[66]	1 (-1)	Takeyuki Watanabe (L) Yoshiharu Komiyama (D)	Takeyuki Watanabe (L – K) 55.8% Yoshiharu Komiyama (D – C, S, PLP) 40.9%	D -1
Shizuoka[67]	2	Shigeki Iwai (L) Yūji Fujimoto (D)	Shigeki Iwai (L – K) 44.3% Sachiko Hirayama (D – S) 41.0% Chika Suzuki (C) 10.2%
Aichi[68]	4 (+1)	Mashito Fujikawa (L) Yoshitaka Saitō (D) Misako Yasui (D)	Masahito Fujikawa (L) 29.3% Yoshitaka Saitō (D) 17.5% Ryūji Satomi (K – L) 16.2% Takae Itō (D) 15.8% Hatsumi Suyama (C) 9.2%	K +1
Mie[69]	1	Hirokazu Shiba (D)	Hirokazu Shiba (D) 49.7% Sachiko Yamamoto (L – K) 47.5%
Shiga[70]	1	Kumiko Hayashi (D)	Takashi Koyari (L – K) 52.2% Kumiko Hayashi (D – C, S) 45.8%	D -1 L +1
Kyoto[71]	2	Tetsurō Fukuyama (D) Satoshi Ninoyu (L)	Satoshi Ninoyu (L – K) 40.0% Tetsurō Fukuyama (D – S) 36.9% Toshitaka Ōkawara (C) 20.0%
Osaka[72]	4 (+1)	Issei Kitagawa (L) Tomoyuki Odachi (D) Hirotaka Ishikawa (K)	Rui Matsukawa (L) 20.4% Hitoshi Asada (Osaka Ishin) 19.5% Hirotaka Ishikawa (K) 18.2% Kaori Takagi (Osaka Ishin) 17.9% Yui Watanabe (C – PLP) 12.2% Tomoyuki Odachi (D – PLP) 9.3%	D -1 Osaka Ishin +2
Hyōgo[73]	3 (+1)	Shinsuke Suematsu (L) Shun'ichi Mizuoka (D)	Shinsuke Suematsu (L) 26.3% Takae Itō (L – K) 22.2% Daisuke Katayama (Osaka Ishin) 21.8% Shun'ichi Mizuoka (D) 17.2%	D -1 L +1 Osaka Ishin +1
Nara[74]	1	Kiyoshige Maekawa (D)	Kei Satō (L – K) 45.5% Kiyoshige Makawa (D – C, S, PLP) 33.7%	D -1 L +1
Wakayama[75]	1	Yōsuke Tsuruho (L)	Yōsuke Tsuruho (L – K) 69.2% Takanobu Yura (I – C, S, PLP) 26.1%
Tottori-Shimane[76]	1 (-1 combined)	From Tottori: Kazuyuki Hamada (I) From Shimane: Kazuhiko Aoki (L)	Kazuhiko Aoki (L – K) 62.7% Hirohiko Fukushima (I – D, C, S, PLP) 34.7%	I -1
Okayama[77]	1	Satsuki Eda (D)	Kimi Onoda (L – K) 55.6% Kentarō Kuroishi (D - C, S) 41.9%	D -1 L +1
Hiroshima[78]	2	Yōichi Miyazawa (L) Minoru Yanagida (D)	Yōichi Miyazawa (L – K) 49.8% Minoru Yanagida (D – S) 23.1% Kana Haioka (Osaka Ishin) 13.8%
Yamaguchi[79]	1	Kiyoshi Ejima (L)	Kiyoshi Ejima (L – K) 64.0% Atsushi Kōketsu (I – D, C, S) 29.8%
Tokushima-Kōchi[80]	1 (-1 combined)	From Tokushima: Yūsuke Nakanishi (L) From Kōchi: Hajime Hirota (D)	Yūsuke Nakanishi (L) 54.1% Sō Ōnishi (I – D, C, S) 42.9%	D -1
Kagawa[81]	1	Yoshihiko Isozaki (L)	Yoshihiko Isozaki (L – K) 65.1% Ken'ichi Tanabe (C – S, PLP) 26.1%
Ehime[82]	1	Junzō Yamamoto (L)	Junzō Yamamoto (L – K) 49.6% Takako Nagae (I – D, S) 48.3%
Fukuoka[83]	3 (+1)	Satoshi Ōie (L) Tsutomu Ōkubo (D)	Yukihito Koga (D) 30.7% Satoshi Ōie (L) 29.3% Hiromi Takase (K – L) 21.4% Masako Shibata (C) 9.0%	K +1
Saga[84]	1	Takamaro Fukuoka (L)	Takamaro Fukuoka (L – K) 65.6% Tetsuji Nakamura (D – S) 31.3%
Nagasaki[85]	1	Genjirō Kaneko (L)	Genjirō Kaneko (L – K) 52.9% Hideko Nishioka (D – S, PLP) 44.9%
Kumamoto[86]	1	Yoshifumi Matsumura (L)	Yoshifumi Matsumura (L – K) 59.1% Hiromi Abe (I – D, C, S) 36.1%
Ōita[87]	1	Shin'ya Adachi (D)	Shin'ya Adachi (D) 48.1 Harutomo Koshō (L – K) 47.9%
Miyazaki[88]	1	Shinpei Matsushita (L)	Shinpei Matsushita (L – K) 62.0% Yōji Yomiyama (I – D, S) 33.5%
Kagoshima[89]	1	Tetsurō Nomura (L)	Tetsurō Nomura (L – K) 59.0% Kazumi Shimomachi (I – D, C, S) 29.2%
Okinawa[90]	1	Aiko Shimajiri (L)	Yōichi Iha (I) 57.8% Aiko Shimajiri (L - K) 40.6%	L -1 I (opposition) +1
National	48	(pre-election by parliamentary group, not by party)[nb 5] D 18 L 12 K 6 C 3 Osaka Ishin 2 S 2 AEJ 1 PLP 1 NRP 1 I 2)	L 35.9% of proportional votes→19 seats:[91] Masayuki Tokushige 521,060 Shigeharu Aoyama 481,890 Satsuki Katayama 393,382 Satoshi Nakanishi 392,433 Eriko Imai 319,359 Toshiyuki Adachi 293,735 Eriko Yamatani 249,844 Shin'ya Fujiki 236,119 Hanako Jimi 210,562 Kanehiko Shindō 182,467 Emiko Takagai 177,810 Hiroshi Yamada 149,833 Toshiyuki Fujii 142,132 Masashi Adachi 139,110 Takashi Uto 137,993 Katsumi Ogawa 130,101 Yoshifumi Miyajima 122,833 Toshiei Mizuochi 114,485 Shūkō Sonoda 101,154 Isao Takeuchi 87,578 ... Tsuneo Horiuchi 84,597	(change from last election 2010) L +7 D (from DPJ) -5 K +1 C +2 Osaka Ishin (new +4) S -1 PLP (new +1) NRP -1 Kokoro (from Sunrise) -1 YP (defunct, now D/OIshin/Kokoro/L/I) -7
			D 21.0% of proportional votes→11 seats:[92] Masao Kobayashi 270,285 Makoto Hamaguchi 266,623 Wakako Yata 215,823 Yoshifu Arita 205,884 Nakanori Kawai 196,023 Shōji Nanba 191,823 Takashi Esaki 184,187 Masayoshi Nataniya 176,683 Michihiro Ishibashi 171,486 Kenzō Fujisue 143,188 Shinkun Haku 138,813 Kaoru Tashiro 113,571 ... Naoki Tanaka 86,596 Takumi Shibata 73,166 ... Takeshi Maeda 59,853 Jirō Ono 46,213 Masami Nishimura 38,899
			K 13.5% of proportional votes→7 seats:[93] Hiroaki Nagasawa 942,266 Kōzō Akino 612,068 Shin'ichi Yokoyama 606,889 Seishi Kumano 605,223 Masaaki Taniai 478,174 Masayoshi Hamada 388,477 Masaru Miyazaki 18,571 Shinji Takeuchi 7,489
			C 10.7% of proportional votes→5 seats:[94] Tadayoshi Ichida 77,348 Tomoko Tamura 49,113 Mikishi Daimon 33,078 Tomo Iwabuchi 31,099 Ryōsuke Takeda 23,938 Tomoko Okuda 23,680
			Osaka Ishin 9.2% of proportional votes→4 seats:[95] Toranosuke Katayama 194,902 Yoshimi Watanabe 143,343 Mitsuko Ishii 68,147 Akira Ishii 50,073 Tsuyoshi Gibu 43,679
			S 2.7% of proportional votes→1 seat:[96] Mizuho Fukushima 254,956 Tadatomo Yoshida 153,197
			PLP 1.9% of proportional votes→1 seat:[97] Ai Aoki 109,050 Yumiko Himei 16,116
			Incumbents on other party lists without seat: Kokoro (1,3%): none[98] Support no party (1.2%): none[99] NRP (1.0%): Tarō Yamada, Hiroyuki Arai[100] Angry voice of the people (0.8%): none[101] HRP (0.7%): none[102]

1. Incl. Kenji Nakanishi (I – Kanagawa) who was retroactively nominated on election night
2. Excluding Tatsuo Hirano (I – Iwate) who joined the LDP a few days after the election bringing the LDP to 122 [and thus the first numerical Senate majority since 1989]
3. incumbent from Tottori
4. retroactively nominated by the LDP on election night
5. seats up 2016 from House of Councillors website as of June 2016

References

1. "Ruling camp holds over 60% of seats". The Japan News. Yomiuri Shimbun. 11 July 2016. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
2. The Japan Times, July 28, 2015: Upper House districts set for shake-up after electoral reform laws pass Diet
3. Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, August 5, 2015: Changes to House of Councillors electoral districts, Summary (Japanese)
4. Asahi Shimbun, June 17, 2015: http://www.asahi.com/articles/ASH6J41T7H6JUTFK001.html １８歳選挙権、成立　来夏の参院選から適用へ
5. e-gov legal database: 公職選挙法 Archived 2016-07-29 at the Wayback Machine, chapter 5 (election dates), article 32 (regular elections)
6. Jiji Press, May 1, 2016: 参院選７月１０日投開票＝同日選は見送り－首相方針
7. Will Japanese Change Their Constitution?, CFR.org, July 7, 2016.
8. "Abe camp gains supermajority needed to alter constitution". Nikkei Asian Review. 11 July 2016. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
9. Rich, Motoko (11 July 2016). "Japan Election, a Landslide for Abe, Could Allow a Bolder Military". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
10. Curtis, Gerald (26 June 2016). "Japan's Election Offers Little Choice". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
11. Yomiuri Shimbun: [www.yomiuri.co.jp/election/sangiin/2016/ 2016 election results]
12. House of Councillors: Members by caucus, class, parallel election segment and gender (Japanese) Archived 2016-04-07 at the Wayback Machine The governing coalition's number included President of the House Masaaki Yamazaki, who sat as an independent. The Democratic Party's number included Vice President Azuma Koshiishi and "Shin-Ryokufukai" members.
13. "Japan's Abe orders new stimulus after election win, as machinery orders 'stall'". CNBC. Reuters. 11 July 2016. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
14. "改憲4党、3分の2に迫る 朝日新聞・参院選情勢調査". Asahi Shimbun. 2016-07-07. Archived from the original on 2016-07-07. Retrieved 2016-07-07.
15. "参院選終盤情勢　改憲4党で3分の2の可能性　投票先未定なお4割". Tokyo Shimbun. 2016-07-06. Archived from the original on 2016-07-06. Retrieved 2016-07-07.
16. "改憲勢力2／3の勢い　野党共闘伸びず". Mainichi Shimbun. 2016-07-06. Archived from the original on 2016-07-11. Retrieved 2016-07-07.
17. "改憲4党、3分の2強まる　参院選終盤情勢". Chunichi Shimbun. 2016-07-06. Archived from the original on 2016-07-06. Retrieved 2016-07-07.
18. "参院選、改憲勢力3分の2迫る　自民単独過半数も視野　終盤情勢". The Nikkei. 2016-07-05. Retrieved 2016-07-07.
19. "与党、改選過半数へ堅調…民進は苦戦続く". Yomiuri Shimbun. 2016-07-05. Retrieved 2016-07-07.
20. "改憲勢力が「3分の2」確保の勢い　自民党は参院過半数を制する見通し". Sankei Shimbun. 2016-07-05. Retrieved 2016-07-07.
21. "参院選獲得議席予測：自民党単独過半数・改憲勢力3分の2うかがう。ニコニコ独自分析". livedoor news. 2016-07-07. Retrieved 2016-07-07.
22. "自民、単独過半数うかがう＝改憲勢力3分の2微妙－参院選終盤情勢【16参院選】". Jiji Press. 2016-07-03. Archived from the original on 2016-07-04. Retrieved 2016-07-07.
23. "ビッグデータが導き出した第24回参議院選挙の議席数予測". ヤフー株式会社. 2016-07-18. Archived from the original on 2016-07-06. Retrieved 2016-07-08.
24. "改憲4党、3分の2うかがう　朝日新聞・参院選情勢調査". Asahi Shimbun. 2016-06-24. Archived from the original on 2016-07-07. Retrieved 2016-07-07.
25. "4 parties backing constitutional revision nearing needed majority". Asahi Shimbun. 2016-06-24. Retrieved 2016-07-17.
26. "序盤情勢・毎日新聞総合調査　改憲勢力、2／3うかがう　自民、単独過半数の勢い　態度未定4割". Mainichi Shimbun. 2016-06-24. Retrieved 2016-07-07.
27. "Pro-constitutional revision parties close to securing 2/3 upper house majority: poll". Mainichi Shimbun. 2016-06-24. Retrieved 2016-07-17.
28. "参院選序盤情勢　改憲勢力2／3うかがう　半数超が投票先未定". Tokyo Shimbun. 2016-06-24. Archived from the original on 2016-07-12. Retrieved 2016-07-07.
29. "Upper house race may put Constitution reform in reach: Kyodo poll". Kyodo. 2016-06-24. Retrieved 2016-07-17.
30. "自民、単独過半数に迫る　参院選序盤情勢　改憲勢力3分の2うかがう　民進、改選数の確保難しく". The Nikkei. 2016-06-24. Retrieved 2016-07-07.
31. "与党、改選過半数の勢い…民進は伸び悩み". Yomiuri Shimbun. 2016-06-23. Retrieved 2016-07-07.
32. "Female candidates break Upper House election record with 28 seats". The Japan Times. Kyodo. 11 July 2016. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
33. "Actress Mihara wins seat for LDP in Kanagawa Prefecture". The Japan Times. Kyodo. 10 July 2016. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
34. "Once ousted from Diet, Watanabe makes comeback with Upper House win". The Japan Times. Kyodo. 11 July 2016. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
35. "Cabinet duo loses; LDP out of Okinawa". The Japan News. Yomiuri Shimbun. 11 July 2016. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
36. Johnston, Eric (10 July 2016). "Okinawan minister Shimajiri ousted from Upper House by former Ginowan mayor". The Japan Times. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
37. "朝日健太郎氏、当選　自民・東京　元ビーチバレー代表". Asahi Shimbun. 11 July 2016. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
38. Negishi, Mayumi (11 July 2016). "Japan Elections: Antinuclear Candidate's Win Poses Risk to Plant Restarts". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
39. Asahi Shimbun Digital: 2016 election result
40. Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications: Results of the 24th regular election of members of the House of Councillors (in Japanese)
41. Yomiuri Shimbun: 2016 election results
42. Asahi Shimbun: 2016 election results
43. Decimals from proportionate fractional votes (按分票 anbunhyō) rounded to full numbers
44. The party website apparently has no pages for foreigners
45. as per English page on the party website
46. Yomiuri Online, 2016 election results: Hokkaidō
47. Yomiuri Online, 2016 election results: Aomori
48. Yomiuri Online, 2016 election results: Iwate
49. Yomiuri Online, 2016 election results: Miyagi
50. Yomiuri Online, 2016 election results: Akita
51. Yomiuri Online, 2016 election results: Yamagata
52. Yomiuri Online, 2016 election results: Fukushima
53. Yomiuri Online, 2016 election results: Ibaraki
54. Yomiuri Online, 2016 election results: Tochigi
55. Yomiuri Online, 2016 election results: Gunma
56. Yomiuri Online, 2016 election results: Saitama
57. Yomiuri Online, 2016 election results: Chiba
58. Yomiuri Online, 2016 election results: Tokyo
59. Yomiuri Online, 2016 election results: Kanagawa
60. Yomiuri Online, 2016 election results: Niigata
61. Yomiuri Online, 2016 election results: Toyama
62. Yomiuri Online, 2016 election results: Ishikawa
63. Yomiuri Online, 2016 election results: Fukui
64. Yomiuri Online, 2016 election results: Yamanashi
65. Yomiuri Online, 2016 election results: Nagano
66. Yomiuri Online, 2016 election results: Gifu
67. Yomiuri Online, 2016 election results: Shizuoka
68. Yomiuri Online, 2016 election results: Aichi
69. Yomiuri Online, 2016 election results: Mie
70. Yomiuri Online, 2016 election results: Shiga
71. Yomiuri Online, 2016 election results: Kyōto
72. Yomiuri Online, 2016 election results: Ōsaka
73. Yomiuri Online, 2016 election results: Hyōgo
74. Yomiuri Online, 2016 election results: Nara
75. Yomiuri Online, 2016 election results: Wakayama
76. Yomiuri Online, 2016 election results: Tottori-Shimane
77. Yomiuri Online, 2016 election results: Okayama
78. Yomiuri Online, 2016 election results: Hiroshima
79. Yomiuri Online, 2016 election results: Yamaguchi
80. Yomiuri Online, 2016 election results: Tokushima-Kōchi
81. Yomiuri Online, 2016 election results: Kagawa
82. Yomiuri Online, 2016 election results: Ehime
83. Yomiuri Online, 2016 election results: Fukuoka
84. Yomiuri Online, 2016 election results: Saga
85. Yomiuri Online, 2016 election results: Nagasaki
86. Yomiuri Online, 2016 election results: Kumamoto
87. Yomiuri Online, 2016 election results: Ōita
88. Yomiuri Online, 2016 election results: Miyazaki
89. Yomiuri Online, 2016 election results: Kagoshima
90. Yomiuri Online, 2016 election results: Okinawa
91. Yomiuri Online, 2016 election results: proportional election, LDP
92. Yomiuri Online, 2016 election results: proportional election, DP
93. Yomiuri Online, 2016 election results: proportional election, Kōmeitō
94. Yomiuri Online, 2016 election results: proportional election, JCP
95. Yomiuri Online, 2016 election results: proportional election, Ōsaka ishin no kai
96. Yomiuri Online, 2016 election results: proportional election, SDP
97. Yomiuri Online, 2016 election results: proportional election, Seikatsu no tō
98. Yomiuri Online, 2016 election results: proportional election, Nippon no kokoro o taisetsu ni suru tō
99. Yomiuri Online, 2016 election results: proportional election, Shiji seitō nashi
100. Yomiuri Online, 2016 election results: proportional election, Shintō kaikaku
101. Yomiuri Online, 2016 election results: proportional election, Kokumin ikari no koe
102. Yomiuri Online, 2016 election results: proportional election, Kōfukujitsugentō

External links

• Major party nominations
  • LDP: Candidate nominations for the 24th Councillors elections: national proportional, prefectural district direct election, endorsed
  • Democratic Party: Candidate nominations for upcoming elections: 24th Councillors election proportional, direct election incl. endorsed 48th Representatives election
  • Kōmeitō: Manifesto and candidates for the 2016 Councillors election
  • Communist Party: Candidate nominations for the 24th Councillors election (both tiers)
  • Initiatives from Osaka: Candidate nominations for the 24th Councillors election (both tiers)