政治｜7月参院選の合憲判断について / Politics | Constitutional Judgment on the July Upper House Election

Summary

The Osaka High Court has delivered its first judicial ruling declaring the July House of Councillors election “constitutional.”

In this election, the disparity in the value of a single vote—known as “vote disparity”—was as much as 3.12 times between Tokyo and Fukui, resulting in a significant difference in the number of voters per representative. The court has urged the legislature to consider correcting this disparity. The issue of “vote disparity” in elections is regarded as a fundamental threat to democracy, and further discussion on this matter is deemed necessary.

Dialogue

This dialogue is fictional and based on the article.

Chako: Hey Log, what does it mean that the House of Councillors election is constitutional?
Log: The Osaka High Court ruled that the July House of Councillors election is constitutional. However, there is a disparity of 3.12 times in the value of a vote between Tokyo and Fukui, which is quite significant.
Chako: Wow! Is there really that much of a difference? How does that happen?
Navi: The disparity in votes refers to the imbalance in the number of representatives between regions with large populations and those with smaller populations. This issue is fundamental to democracy, so it’s considered to have a significant social impact.

Admin’s Note

The Osaka High Court’s ruling on constitutionality has highlighted fundamental issues within the electoral system. The significant disparity in the value of votes can be seen as a challenge to the principles of democracy. Particularly, when the difference in the number of voters per elected representative becomes so pronounced, it has the potential to influence election outcomes. While it is essential for the legislature to address this issue, I am curious about what concrete measures will be proposed in the future.