Japanese unified local elections, 2011

The 17 unified regional elections (Japanese第17回 统一 地方 选 挙, dai - jūnana -kai Toitsu Chiho Senkyo ) in Japan took place in April 2011. On April 10, 2011 Governors in twelve prefectures, 41 prefecture parliaments and five mayors and 15 city councilors in the 19 " large cities by government decree " were chosen initially ( Seirei shitei toshi ). In the second phase took place on April 24, 2011, approximately 1000 Mayor or Council elections in other municipalities, including in most of the wards of Tokyo, and in many urban districts. In addition, a by-election in the 6th constituency Aichi for the Shūgiin, the lower house of the national parliament was performed.

Because of the Tōhoku earthquake 31 elections were postponed in the most affected prefectures of Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima on the basis of a special law, including the gubernatorial election in Iwate and parliamentary elections in all three prefectures. Have been moved also the mayor and city council elections in Mito in Ibaraki Prefecture.

• 3.1 " large cities by government decree " 3.1.1 Mayor
• 3.1.2 councilors

• 5.1 Media Features and portals
• 5.2 Parties: candidates and election programs (local manifesto )

History and campaign

The reigning national Cabinet Kan of the Democratic Party (DPJ ) and the New People's Party was in a survey depth, and given the " twisted parliament" in the dispute over budget -related laws for the year beginning in April 2011 fiscal year, which block the opposition, led by the Liberal Democratic Party can. The DPJ had since 2010 lost a number of prefectural and municipal elections, most recently in February, the gubernatorial election in Aichi, the concurrent mayoral election in the city of Nagoya in March 2011 and the early council election in Nagoya.

On March 11, 2011, the Tōhoku earthquake whose consequences affect large parts of East Japan and thus influence the finding candidates and the election campaign occurred.

Prefecture level

Governors

The governors of prefectures be determined by simple majority vote. Official campaigning began on 24 March 2011. As in 2007 should at the uniform regional elections 2011 13 governors are available, but the choice in Iwate has been moved. For the remaining 12 governorships were to campaign's start a total of 39 applicants.

All governors standing for re-election were as currently nationally formally selected a total of 46 of the 47 incumbents as independents, most candidates were also independent. Many were but support in the elections of one or more parties by campaign help or recommendation to vote. In most gubernatorial elections, a candidate had the explicit or implicit support of both major parties, only in the prefectures of Hokkaido, Tokyo and Mie two different candidates were supported (LDP ) and the Democratic Party (DPJ ) each of Liberal Democratic Party; in all three won the LDP -supported candidate.

Hokkaidō

In Hokkaido Governor Harumi Takahashi is applied with the support of the LDP and Kōmeitō to a third term. DPJ, SDP and NVP supported the candidacy of Toshiaki Kimura, a former official of the Ministry of Agriculture. Other candidates were Satoshi Miyauchi for the JCP and Tadashi Katsuya, former Vice President of the Prefecture Parliament.

Tokyo

In the most populous prefecture Tokyo had the longtime incumbent Shintaro Ishihara, a former LDP politician who is close to the conservative LDP elimination Tachiagare Nippon left open long, whether he may run again. His older son Nobuteru currently LDP Secretary General and Chairman of the LDP Prefectural Association, and other conservative leaders politicians were in favor of another candidate of his father. Early March 2011, national media reported initially that Ishihara wished to withdraw, but he declared on March 14, his renewed candidacy.

The Democratic Party had long left open whether they nominated its own candidate or support another candidate. Among other things, the Administration Minister Renho, which achieved record results in Tokyo in the elections for the National House of Lords in 2010, Economy Minister Banri Kaieda and were considered as potential candidates. Shigefumi Matsuzawa, previously governor of Kanagawa and former member of the Democratic Party, declared his candidacy on March 1, 2011, but retired on March 14 after the Tōhoku earthquake again.

In the prefecture of Parliament, which was not re- elected with the exception of a by-election in Suginami, the Democrats are strongest party since the 2009 election; it stands with Governor Ishihara among other things on the planned relocation of the Tsukiji market and the balance in the conflict.

The most important of the eleven candidates were:

• Shintaro Ishihara, a former writer, Deputy Minister and since 1999 the governor of Tokyo prefecture, which was supported without a formal recommendation by the parties, the LDP and Kōmeitō,
• Hideo Higashikokubaru, former comedian and until January 2011, Governor of Miyazaki Prefecture,
• The entrepreneur ( Watami group) Miki Watanabe, who was supported without formal support of the Party of the Democratic group in the prefecture of Parliament and
• Akira Koike, a former Member of the CPY in the national House of Lords.

Kanagawa

In the prefecture of Kanagawa incumbent Shigefumi Matsuzawa had first announced their intention to run for the governorship in Tokyo, but later withdrawn. He applied not for a third term in Kanagawa. DPJ, LDP and Kōmeitō support then the former newscaster Yuji Kuroiwa as his successor, opposition candidates were Jun'ichi Tsuyuki, a former mayor of Kaisei, whose candidacy of Minna no Tō and the regional parties Kanagawa Network and Network Yokohama was supported, the CPY -based Hiroko Kamoi and the real estate dealer Osamu Teruya.

Fukui

In Fukui Prefecture is incumbent Issei Nishikawa applied formally supported by LDP, Kōmeitō as de facto candidate of the three major parties to a third term. Rival candidate for the JCP was as early as 2007 Kunihiro Uno.

Mie

Add to Mie Governor Akihiko Noro retired after two terms in office. To succeed competed with LDP support Eikei Suzuki, a former official of the Ministry of Economy and LDP candidate in the general election in 2009 in the 2nd constituency Mie, the constituency of Masaharu Nakagawa. Also Minna no Tō and Genzei Nippon supported Suzuki's candidacy. The DPJ supported the candidacy of Naohisa Matsuda, formerly mayor of Tsu, CPY -supported candidate was Emi Okano.

Nara

Incumbent Shogo Arai was re-elected in Nara prefecture for a second term. Opposition candidates were former communist Prefecture MPs Shigekazu Kitano, the participation of Nara in the " Purpose Association Kansai " rejected as Arai, and Shunji Shiomi, president of the Medical Association of the Prefecture, who had declared his candidacy only on March 23.

Tottori

With the support of the LDP and Kōmeitō occurred in Tottori in office since 2007 Governor Shinji Hirai again. The only countermeasure candidate was with JCP support Junko Yamauchi from Shin Nihon fujin no kai, a communist -influenced movement for gender equality.

Shimane

Counter Shimanes Governor december Mizoguchi, who ran with LDP Kōmeitō support for a second term, took only Shin'ichi mucosa ( JCP ); Tadao Sasaki (formerly also a member of the Liberal League ) drew a previously declared candidacy on March 22 back. Another candidate, former employees Shigeki Abe had withdrawn his candidacy after the Tōhoku earthquake.

Tokushima

In Tokushima is incumbent Kamon Iizumi bewarbt to a third term. The Democratic Party gave up its own candidate, the Kōmeitō supported him also. KPJ - counter candidate was Chiyoko Yamamoto.

Fukuoka

In Fukuoka prefecture on Kyushu most populous Governor Wataru Asō did not start after four terms. The three largest parties DPJ, LDP and Kōmeitō and the SDP and the NVP support the former MITI officials Hiroshi Ogawa. The LDP Fukuoka Prefecture had the nomination of the members of parliament Isao Kurauchi considered but rejected in February 2011, after the support Ogawa threatened to split by the local LDP size taro Asō the prefecture Association. KPJ -supported candidate for the gubernatorial election was Takaaki Tamura, a former member of the city council Kitakyushu.

Saga

In Saga was only the CPY -based candidacy of Masakatsu Hirabayashi against a third term of office of Governor Yasushi Furukawa.

Oita

Incumbent Katsusada Hirose competed in the prefecture of Oita, with the support of the LDP, SDP Kōmeitō and for a fourth term. Communist opposition candidate was Noboru Mieno, in 2007 Hirose's only challenger.

Parliaments

The plan was for all elections with the exception of Ibaraki Prefecture parliaments, Tokyo and Okinawa; due to the Tōhoku earthquake elections in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima have been moved, which is why only 41 parliamentary elections on April 10, 2011 took place. Deputies are non-communicable Einzelstimmgebung - identical to simple majority voting in Einmandatswahlkreisen - predominantly determined in multi mandate constituencies. Official campaigning began on 1 April 2011.

In all standing for election parliaments of the Liberal Democratic Party was the largest party (as at 31 December 2009). Nationally occurred for the 2,330 seats in Parliament to 3,457 candidates, of which 410 voted for lack of opposition candidates without a vote (DPJ 50 LDP 265, Kōmeitō 8). 347 candidates were women. LDP and Kōmeitō cooperate partially with the candidate nomination, the New People's Party has withdrawn the dispute through a revision of postal privatization shortly before the election campaign of their choice recommendation for 311 parliamentary and 74 city council candidates of the Democratic Party. For the parliamentary elections, the national parties made whole: the LDP 1,243 candidates, the DPJ 572, the Kōmeitō 172 225 JCP, SDP 45, the Minna no Tō 103 and a Tachiagare Nippon, 933 candidates without formal nomination of a party.

Increased national attention received, among others, the parliamentary elections in Osaka and Aichi, where the regional parties Osaka Ishin no Kai and Genzei Nippon threatened the position of the established parties ( in alliance with Nihon -ichi no Aichi Governor Hideaki Omura Kai ). The Ishin no Kai won an absolute majority of seats, though Genzei Nippon could move as the third largest party in the Parliament of Aichi, but was outside the city of Nagoya produce few candidates to parliament. With the exception of Osaka Prefecture, the LDP remained in all parliaments despite slight seat losses strongest party, the DPJ fell nationwide from 384 before the election to 346 seats back (after 2328 counted a total of 2330 seats and the lack of mandates came from the prefecture of Chiba: in zweimandatigen constituency Urayasu city was chosen due to earthquake and was rescheduled on May 22. ). Nationwide profits recorded the liberal Minna no Tō of Yoshimi Watanabe, who moved in several prefectural parliaments, including in Watanabe's home Tochigi Prefecture as the second strongest force. Communists and Social Democrats slightly lost mandates and are no longer represented in some of Parliaments.

Community level

"Cities by government decree "

Mayor

In the unified regional elections were mayor in Sapporo ( Hokkaido ), Shizuoka ( Shizuoka ), Hamamatsu ( Shizuoka ), Hiroshima ( Hiroshima ) and elected in 2010 Seirei shitei toshi appointed Sagamihara ( Kanagawa ). Official campaign's start was 27 March 2011. Yasutomo Suzuki in Hamamatsu Mayor was unopposed and was re-elected without a vote. In Hiroshima, six candidates applied for the succession of Tadatoshi Akiba, the LDP Kōmeitō -based Kazumi Matsui, a former official of the Social and Health Ministry, prevailed. In Shizuoka, the reigning since 1994 Zenkichi Kojima withdrew, as the successor of the former prefecture MPs Nobuhiro Tanabe was with LDP support and around 45% of votes elected. In Sapporo and Sagamihara incumbents were re-elected.

Aldermen

In all Seirei shitei toshi with the exception of Shizuoka, Kitakyushu ( Fukuoka ), Nagoya ( Aichi ) and Sendai ( Miyagi ), where the election is postponed due to earthquake, the city councils were elected. In most of the Liberal Democratic Party was the strongest party before the election. Official campaigning began on 1 April 2011. For the total of 924 seats in the 15 city councilors there was the campaign's start 1,361 candidates, including 239 women. As more candidates than seats were available in all constituencies, was matched anywhere.

Other communities

Overall stood mayor and Parliament in hundreds of independent cities (without " cities by government decree " ), Tokyo " special districts " and county's towns and villages to choose from. Official election campaigns start in independent cities and " special districts " was April 17, 2011, in county's towns and villages of April 19, 2011.

National media coverage, see, among others, some of Tokyo's mayoral elections - that saw, for example, the conservative incumbent in the district Taitō, Hiroshi Yoshizumi, a strong LDP supported the candidacy of the former Upper House MPs Sanzo Hosaka - and the mayoral elections in the prefecture capitals Tsu ( Mie ), Nagasaki ( Nagasaki ) and Oita ( Oita ), Takamatsu ( Kagawa ) was the incumbent re-elected without a vote. Overall, there were 46 candidates for the 13 Tokyo mayor, 203 for the 88 city mayors, and at the council elections 1162 candidates in 21 " special districts " and 8,625 ( including 1,268 women) for a total of 7,104 seats in 293 urban districts.

In Nagasaki incumbent ropes was re-elected as the candidate of major parties in Tsu and Oita had two different candidates the support of Democrats and the Liberal Democrats, it won in Oita, for decades an anti - LDP stronghold, the DPJ -supported Ban Kugimiya. Also in Tsu - Mie Prefecture is home of DPJ Secretary-General Okada and a relative stronghold of the Democrats - won the democratically -supported candidate. In Setagaya, the most populous community of the Tokyo prefecture, the former Social Democratic member of Parliament Nobuto Hosaka was elected mayor. Yubari ( Hokkaido ), Japan's only insolvent independent city, the former officials of the Tokyo Prefectural Government Naomichi Suzuki won the election, with 30 years of the nation's youngest mayor. In Suita ( Osaka ) was Tetsuya Inoue from Osaka Ishin no Kai, the regional party of Governor Hashimoto elected.

Election to the national parliament

In the 6th constituency Aichi for the Shūgiin a successor for the Democrats Yoshihiro Ishida was elected, who resigned for his candidacy for the mayoral election in the city of Nagoya in February 2011. The constituency includes northern suburbs of Nagoya. The election campaign began on April 12, 2011: For the LDP Hideki Niwa approached, who had represented the constituency from 2005 to 2009. The Democratic party nominated no candidates, but tried the regional party Genzei Nippon by the nomination of journalist Masayo Kawamura a foray into national politics. Other candidates were the Communist Akemi Kawae, 2010 proportional representation candidate in the Sangiin - election, as well as an Independent and a Kōfuku - jitsugen -tō - candidate. As with many prefectural and municipal elections were the disaster and the rebuilding after the Tohoku Earthquake themes of the campaign. Niwa won.