AFP/Tokyo
Japan’s government promised yesterday to examine the country’s voting system after courts ruled that some general election results were unconstitutional and invalid.
Over two days of hearings, judges in western Japan said the huge disparity in the number of electors in different constituencies meant the value of each vote varied too greatly to be fair.
Despite the rulings, which affect three seats, the results from last December’s general election which swept Shinzo Abe to power will not immediately be overturned. The decisions are effectively suspended until the supreme court rules on them, an event scheduled for some time towards the end of the year.
“We humbly accept the court ruling and will take appropriate measures after having a close look at it,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference. This week’s rulings were the latest in a series of victories for a group made up mainly of lawyers and constitutional scholars who claim not to have a party political axe to grind.
Previous court hearings have declared elections to be “in a state of unconstitutionality” but have allowed results to stand. Monday’s finding in Hiroshima was the first time the result has been declared invalid.