Voter turnout in recent elections has been low, and there is a growing focus on addressing this issue during the upcoming House of Representatives general election campaign. In the 2014 lower house election, voter turnout hit a postwar low of 52.66% in the single-seat constituency segment. While it gradually increased to 53.68% in 2017 and 55.93% in 2021, it has not surpassed 60% in the last three elections.
During the highly contested 1958 election, known as the “1955 system,” where power was fiercely fought between the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the former Japan Socialist Party, voter turnout reached its peak at an impressive rate of 76.99%. The LDP held a monopoly on power from 1955 to 1993, during which time voter turnout mostly ranged from 60% to70%. However, recent years have seen significantly lower levels of participation.
Several factors are believed to have influenced voter turnout, including unfavorable weather conditions and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. However, it has also been suggested that public interest in elections has waned due to the dominant position of the LDP and their consistently higher approval ratings compared to opposition parties.
In response to criticism over political funding issues within his party, newly designated Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba called for a snap election with hopes of gaining public confidence in his administration. Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan President Yoshihiko Noda has advocated for a change in government leadership, which may increase voter interest in this upcoming election.
Another significant concern is how to encourage greater participation among younger voters. The minimum voting age was lowered in 2016 allowing those aged18 and older to cast their votes during subsequent elections; however, teenagers’ voting rates have remained consistently lower than other age groups’.