4.56 M. People Vote Early for Japan Lower House Poll

Tokyo, Feb. 2 (Jiji Press)–The number of people who voted over five days from Wednesday ahead of the upcoming House of Representatives election totaled 4,562,823, accounting for 4.41 pct of all registered voters, the internal affairs ministry said Monday. The number of early voters for Sunday’s election fell by 2.54 pct from 4.68 million in the same period of the previous 2024 election for the all-important lower chamber of the Diet, Japan’s parliament. Heavy snow is believed to have contributed to the sluggish turnout. The number of early voters fell from the previous election in the northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido, the northeastern region of Tohoku, and the central region of Hokuriku. Toyama Prefecture in Hokuriku posted a decline of 30.68 pct, while Aomori Prefecture, part of Tohoku, logged a drop of 26.41 pct. Tottori Prefecture, western Japan, experienced the largest decrease, at 42.5 pct. Meanwhile, the central prefecture of Gifu recorded the largest increase, at 28.60 pct, followed by Nara Prefecture, western Japan, at 22.95 pct. Despite the short campaign and delays in sending out admission cards for polling stations, there was no significant decline in early voting. A ministry official attributed this to the spread of information that people can vote without such cards. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]