In the House of Councilors election in July last year, the so-called disparity in one vote was up to 3.03 times. decided to
In the House of Councilors election last July, there was a disparity of up to 3.03 times in the number of eligible voters per member, depending on the electoral district. A nationwide lawsuit was filed demanding that the election be nullified.
The 16 cases handed down by high courts and high court branches across the country were divided into
▽ 1 case for "violation of the constitution"
, 8 cases for "unconstitutional state"
, and
7 cases for "constitutionality" .
None of the invalidity was recognized.
On the 8th, the Supreme Court decided to hear these cases in the Grand Bench with all 15 judges.
Regarding the disparity in one vote in the House of Councilors election, the Supreme Court ruled that the 2010 and 2013 elections, when there was a five-fold or four-fold disparity, were unconstitutional. As a result, 2016, when the disparity narrowed to about three times, and the previous year, 2019, are judged to be "constitutional."
This election was held in the same way as the previous one, and the disparity continues to be about three times, and the focus is on how the Supreme Court will evaluate this situation.
A verdict is expected to be handed down by the end of the year.