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Social Science Japan Journal Advance Access originally published online on October 31, 2008
Social Science Japan Journal 2008 11(2):277-293; doi:10.1093/ssjj/jyn045
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Social Science Japan Journal 11:277-293 (2008)
© 2008 Oxford University Press

The LDP's Defeat in Crucial Single-seat Constituencies of the 2007 Upper House Election

IMAI Ryosuke and KABASHIMA Ikuo*

IMAI Ryosuke is Associate Professor of Political Science, Tokyo Metropolitan University. He can be contacted at imai-ryosuke{at}tmu.ac.jp
KABASHIMA Ikuo is the Governor of Kumamoto prefecture and Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the University of Tokyo

This paper attempts to clarify and analyze the major factors behind the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) huge loss and the Democratic Party of Japan's (DPJ) overwhelming win in the single-seat constituencies (there are a total of 29 throughout the country), the results that decided the final outcome of the 21st House of Councilors Election held on 29 July 2007. Analysis of the election results reveals that, first, there was a shift in support from the LDP to the DPJ among primary-industry and construction workers, who were hard hit by the structural reform drive under the Koizumi and Abe administrations, and second, that since ‘unified local elections’ had taken place a few months earlier, many LDP supporters, tired out by their efforts in local-level elections, lost interest in the Upper House election and did not go to the polls (a situation known as the ‘Year of the Boar phenomenon’).

* Translated from the Japanese by Takechi Manabu.


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