Japanese unified regional elections, 2007
Encyclopedia
The 16th unified regional elections in Japan
took place in April 2007. In the first phase on April 8, 2007 13 governors, 44 prefectural parliaments as well as four mayors and 15 councils in cities designated by government ordinance were elected. In the second phase on April 22, 2007 mayors and/or assemblies in hundreds of cities
, special wards
, towns and villages
were up for election. Additionally, by-elections for the national Diet were held in Fukushima and Okinawa on April 22.
Elections with national media coverage included the mayoral races in five prefectural capitals (Mito, Ibaraki; Takamatsu, Kagawa; Matsuyama, Ehima; Nagasaki, Nagasaki: Tomihisa Taue won the election to succeed assassinated mayor Itchō Itō; Ōita, Ōita), in the bankrupt city of Yūbari, Hokkaidō, and in Tōyō, Kōchi where an opponent of a planned site for highly radioactive waste won the election.
The House of Councillors by-elections were won by one LDP-Kōmeitō supported candidate (Aiko Shimajiri
in Okinawa) as replacement for OSMP Councillor Keiko Itokazu
, and one Democrat (Teruhiko Mashiko
in Fukushima) as replacement for Democrat Yūhei Satō
, producing a net gain of one seat for the ruling centre-right coalition three months before the regular House of Councillors election of 2007
.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
took place in April 2007. In the first phase on April 8, 2007 13 governors, 44 prefectural parliaments as well as four mayors and 15 councils in cities designated by government ordinance were elected. In the second phase on April 22, 2007 mayors and/or assemblies in hundreds of cities
Cities of Japan
||A is a local administrative unit in Japan. Cities are ranked on the same level as and , with the difference that they are not a component of...
, special wards
Special wards of Tokyo
The are 23 municipalities that together make up the core and the most populous part of Tokyo, Japan. Together, they occupy the land that was the city of Tokyo before it was abolished in 1943. The special wards' structure was established under the Japanese Local Autonomy Law and is unique to...
, towns and villages
Villages of Japan
A is a local administrative unit in Japan.It is a local public body along with , , and . Geographically, a village's extent is contained within a prefecture....
were up for election. Additionally, by-elections for the national Diet were held in Fukushima and Okinawa on April 22.
Elections on April 8
- Gubernatorial elections in
- Hokkaidō: Governor Harumi TakahashiHarumi Takahashiis the present governor of the Japanese prefecture of Hokkaidō. She graduated from Hitotsubashi University in 1976. She started her career as a bureaucrat in Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and quit in 2003....
is reelected for a second term with centre-right support against centre-left candidate Satoshi Arai and a JCPJapanese Communist PartyThe Japanese Communist Party is a left-wing political party in Japan.The JCP advocates the establishment of a society based on socialism, democracy and peace, and opposition to militarism...
candidate. - Iwate: In Ichirō Ozawa's home prefecture, Democrat Takuya TassoTakuya Tassois the governor of Iwate Prefecture. A native of Morioka, Iwate and graduate of the University of Tokyo. He joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1988, receiving a master's degree in international relations from Johns Hopkins University in the United States while with the ministry...
beats four candidates in the race to succeed retiring three-term governor Hiroya MasudaHiroya Masudais a Japanese politician who was Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications from August 2007 to September 2008. Unlike many other members of the Cabinet, he is not a member of the Diet of Japan . A native of Tokyo, he graduated from the University of Tokyo and served as governor of Iwate...
. - TokyoTokyo gubernatorial election, 2007Tokyo held a gubernatorial election on April 8, 2007 as part of the 16th unified local elections. There were fourteen candidates , among them the incumbent governor Shintaro Ishihara. All candidates ran as independents but some were supported by various parties....
: Former Liberal Democratic environment minister and incumbent governor Shintarō IshiharaShintaro Ishiharais a Japanese author, actor, politician and the governor of Tokyo since 1999.- Early life and artistic career :Shintarō was born in Suma-ku, Kobe. His father Kiyoshi was an employee, later a general manager, of a shipping company. Shintarō grew up in Zushi...
wins a third term. - Kanagawa: Governor Shigefumi MatsuzawaShigefumi Matsuzawais the governor of Kanagawa Prefecture in Japan. A native of Kawasaki, Kanagawa and graduate of Keio University, he had served in the assembly of Kanagawa Prefecture for two terms since 1987 and in the House of Representatives in the Diet of Japan for three terms since 1993. He was first elected...
(former Democratic Diet member) is reelected. - Fukui: With broad support from non-Communist parties, governor Issei NishikawaIssei Nishikawais the governor of Fukui Prefecture in Japan. He was elected first in 2003. A native of Asahi, Fukui and graduate of Kyoto University, he joined the Ministry of Home Affairs in 1968.- External links :*...
wins a second term. - Mie: With broad support from non-Communist parties, governor Akihiko NoroAkihiko Norois the governor of Mie Prefecture in Japan. A native of Iitaka, Mie, he attended Keio University for undergraduate study and received a master's degree from it. Before elected governor, he had served in the House of Representatives in the Diet for four terms since 1983 and as mayor of Matsusaka,...
wins a second term. - Nara: Supported by the centre-right parties, but with only one other Communist candidate, Shōgo AraiShogo Araiis the governor of Nara Prefecture in Japan, first elected in 2007. A graduate of the University of Tokyo, he joined the Ministry of Transport, attending Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs as a ministry official...
is elected to succeed retiring incumbent Yoshiya Kakimoto - Tottori: Centre-right supported former vice governor Shinji HiraiShinji Hiraiis the governor of Tottori Prefecture in Japan, first elected in 2007. He graduated from the University of Tokyo in 1984 and joined the Ministry of Home Affairs upon graduation.- External links :*...
wins the election against only one Communist challenger and succeeds retiring Yoshihiro KatayamaYoshihiro Katayamais the current Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications of Japan. He was the Governor of Tottori Prefecture from 1999 to 2007.- References :...
. - Shimane: With centre-right support Zenbē MizoguchiZenbe Mizoguchiis the governor of Shimane Prefecture in Japan, first elected in 2007. He is a graduate of the University of Tokyo and former official of the Ministry of Finance.-References:...
beats his only rival candidate, a Communist, to follow retiring Nobuyoshi Sumita as governor. - Tokushima: Governor Kamon IizumiKamon Iizumiis the governor of Tokushima Prefecture in Japan, first elected in 2007. A native of Osaka Prefecture and graduate of the University of Tokyo, he had worked at the Ministry of Home Affairs since 1984 before elected 'Governor of Tokushima Prefecture' in late 2003....
wins reelection against only one Communist candidate. - FukuokaFukuoka gubernatorial election, 2007Fukuoka Prefecture held a gubernatorial election on April 8, 2007. Incumbent Asou Wataru won the election.- Candidates :* Asou Wataru, the Independent incumbent governor....
: Three-term incumbent Wataru AsōWataru Asois the former governor of Fukuoka Prefecture in Japan, first elected in 1995. From 2005-11 he was also President of the . A native of Kitakyūshū, Fukuoka and graduate of Kyoto University, he joined the Ministry of International Trade and Industry in 1963. He retired on the 22nd April 2011, and...
beats centre-left supported Shūji Inatomi and a Communist. - Saga: Governor Yasushi FurukawaYasushi Furukawais the governor of Saga Prefecture in Japan, first elected in 2003. A native of Karatsu, Saga, he graduated from the University of Tokyo in 1982 and entered the Ministry of Home Affairs upon graduation.- External links :*...
defeats his Communist challenger to win a second term. - Ōita: Incumbent Katsusada HiroseKatsusada Hiroseis the governor of Ōita Prefecture in Japan, first elected in 2003. A native of Hita, Ōita and graduate of the University of Tokyo, he had worked at the Ministry of International Trade and Industry since 1966 before elected governor.- External links :*...
wins reelection against only one Communist candidate.
- Hokkaidō: Governor Harumi Takahashi
- Assembly elections in all prefectures with the exceptions of Ibaraki, Tokyo and Okinawa. In the national aggregate, the Liberal Democratic Party receives 38.4% of the vote, winning 1212 of the 2544 seats. The Democratic Party increases its nationwide vote share to 16.4% and now has 375 prefectural assembly members; in Iwate, it becomes strongest party in a prefectural parliament for the first time. The number of women elected reaches a new record high at 190 of 2544.
- Mayoral elections in
- Sapporo, Hokkaidō: Centre-left-supported Fumio UedaFumio Uedais the mayor of Sapporo, Hokkaido in Japan. A native of Makubetsu, Hokkaidō and 1972 graduate of Chuo University, he was first elected in 2003 after an unsuccessful run in the same year prior to being elected....
is reelected for a second term. - Shizuoka, Shizuoka: Zenkichi KojimaZenkichi Kojimawas the mayor of Shizuoka, Shizuoka in Japan until April, 2011, when he was succeeded by Tanabe Nobuhiro. A graduate of the University of Tokyo, he was first elected mayor in 1998 after serving in the assembly of Shizuoka Prefecture for three terms....
(two terms in office since the elevation to designated city, but before that mayor of the pre-merger Shizuoka since 1994) is reelected - Hamamatsu, Shizuoka: Former Democratic Diet member Yasutomo SuzukiYasutomo Suzukiis the mayor of Hamamatsu, Shizuoka in Japan. A 1980 graduate of Keio University, he was first elected mayor in 2007 after serving in the House of Representatives in Diet for two terms.- External links :*...
beats incumbent mayor Yasuyuki Kitawaki (also a former Democrat) by a margin of twelve thousand votes. - Hiroshima, Hiroshima: Mayor Tadatoshi AkibaTadatoshi Akibais a Japanese politician and served as the mayor of the city of Hiroshima, Japan from 1999 to 2011.- Early life :He studied mathematics at the University of Tokyo, receiving a B.S. in 1966 and an M.S. in 1968. He continued his studies under John Milnor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology,...
beats former Liberal Democratic Diet member Takeaki Kashimura and two other candidates to win a third term in office.
- Sapporo, Hokkaidō: Centre-left-supported Fumio Ueda
- Council elections in all designated cities except for Shizuoka and Kitakyūshū. In Kawasaki and Nagoya, the Democratic Party wins a plurality of seats, in Sakai the Justice Party, in all other cities the LDP is strongest party, though "independents" often form the majority.
Elections on April 22
- By-elections for the national Diet: House of Councillors, Fukushima and Okinawa
- Mayoral elections in 96 cities, 13 special wards and many towns and villages
- Council elections in hundreds of municipalities, including 21 special wards
Elections with national media coverage included the mayoral races in five prefectural capitals (Mito, Ibaraki; Takamatsu, Kagawa; Matsuyama, Ehima; Nagasaki, Nagasaki: Tomihisa Taue won the election to succeed assassinated mayor Itchō Itō; Ōita, Ōita), in the bankrupt city of Yūbari, Hokkaidō, and in Tōyō, Kōchi where an opponent of a planned site for highly radioactive waste won the election.
The House of Councillors by-elections were won by one LDP-Kōmeitō supported candidate (Aiko Shimajiri
Aiko Shimajiri
is a Japanese politician, an independent and member of the House of Councillors in the Diet who was elected for the first time in 2007.- External links :*...
in Okinawa) as replacement for OSMP Councillor Keiko Itokazu
Keiko Itokazu
is a Japanese politician, an independent and member of the House of Councillors in the Diet . A native of Yomitan, Okinawa and high school graduate, she had served in the assembly of Okinawa Prefecture for three terms since 1992 and was elected to the House of Councillors for the first time in 2004...
, and one Democrat (Teruhiko Mashiko
Teruhiko Mashiko
is a Japanese politician of the Democratic Party of Japan, a member of the House of Councillors in the Diet . A native of Kōriyama, Fukushima and graduate of Waseda University, he ran unsuccessfully for the House of Representatives in 1986 after serving in the assembly of Fukushima Prefecture for...
in Fukushima) as replacement for Democrat Yūhei Satō
Yuhei Sato
is the governor of Fukushima Prefecture of Japan. He was first elected in November 2006, after the previous governor, Eisaku Satō, was forced to step down after 'politically motivated' bribery charges - References :...
, producing a net gain of one seat for the ruling centre-right coalition three months before the regular House of Councillors election of 2007
Japanese House of Councillors election, 2007
The for the upper house of the legislature of Japan were held on July 29, 2007. This was the only time Prime Minister Shinzō Abe had faced an election...
.
External links
- Yomiuri Shimbun: 2007 unified regional elections