Court Finds July Upper House Poll in Unconstitutional State

Kanazawa, Ishikawa Pref., Oct. 29 (Jiji Press)–The Kanazawa branch of Nagoya High Court on Wednesday ruled that the July election of the House of Councillors, the upper chamber of Japan’s parliament, was held in a state of unconstitutionality in terms of vote-value disparities. A group of lawyers, including Hidetoshi Masunaga, sought the invalidation of the election, whose maximum vote-value gap came to 3.13 times. Presiding Judge Kazuaki Ono dismissed the invalidity claim. It was the second ruling on 16 such lawsuits filed with 14 high courts or high court branches across the country by two groups of lawyers. Last week, Osaka High Court ruled that the election was constitutional. No review has been made to the electoral system since the previous Upper House election in 2022, which the Supreme Court deemed constitutional. The focus was how the court would evaluate the widening of the maximum gap from 3.03 times in the 2022 election. In its ruling on Friday, Osaka High Court noted that the increase in the disparity “cannot be said to be a significant expansion.” Still, the court urged the Diet, Japan’s parliament, to take legislative measures to address the issue, stating, “The pressing issue has become even more urgent.” END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]