Note: In the results above, the seat counts represent the total seats, but the vote counts and percentages represent the single-member district votes. 

At stake in this election:

• 480 seats in the House of Representatives (Shugi-in)

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: Emperor AKIHITO
• Head of Government: Prime Minister Yoshiro MORI
• Assembly: Japan has a bicameral Diet (Kokkai) consisting of the House of Councillors (Sangi-in) with 252 seats and the House of Representatives (Shugi-in) with 480 seats.

Description of electoral system:

• The Emperor is N/A N/A.
• In the House of Councillors (Sangi-in), 100 members are elected through a party-list proportional representation system to serve 6-year terms and 152 members are elected by simple majority vote within constituencies to serve 6-year terms. In the House of Representatives (Shugi-in), 300 members are elected in single-member constituencies to serve 4-year terms and 180 members are elected by proportional representation to serve 4-year terms.

Main parties in the electoral race:

• Party: Liberal Democratic Party
  • Leader: Yoshiro MORI
  • Seats won in this House of Representatives election: 233
  • Seats won in last House of Representatives election: 239
• Party: Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ)**
  • Leader: Yukio HATOYAMA
  • Seats won in this House of Representatives election: 127
  • Seats won in last House of Representatives election: 52
• Party: New Komeito Party
  • Leader: Takenori KANZAKI
  • Seats won in this House of Representatives election: 31
  • Seats won in last House of Representatives election: N/A
• Party: The Liberal Party****
  • Leader: Ichiro OZAWA
  • Seats won in this House of Representatives election: 22
  • Seats won in last House of Representatives election: N/A
• Party: Social Democratic Party of Japan
  • Leader: Takako DOI
  • Seats won in this House of Representatives election: 19
  • Seats won in last House of Representatives election: 15
• Party: New Conservative Party******
  • Leader: Chikage OHGI
  • Seats won in this House of Representatives election: 7
  • Seats won in last House of Representatives election: N/A
• Party: Japanese Communist Party
  • Seats won in this House of Representatives election: 20
  • Seats won in last House of Representatives election: 26
• Indpendents and Others
  • Seats won in this House of Representatives election: 21
  • Seats won in last House of Representatives election: N/A

** Since the last election, the DPJ merged with several smaller parties and several parliamentary members of the Social Democratic Party and Shinshin Party joined. With these additional members, the DPJ held 96 seats in the House of Representatives prior to the June 25th election.
**** The LP was formed after the last election.
****** The New Conservative Party was formed after the last election.

Last Parliamentary election:

• -Last Election to the House of Representatives: October 20, 1996
  -Seats decided in the last election: 500

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 126,792,769 (December 1999 est.)
• Registered Voters: 100,492,328 ( 2000 )

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 64,800,675 (2000)

·         Is Japan a signatory to CEDAW: Yes (17 July 1980)

·         Has Japan ratified CEDAW: Yes (25 June 1985)

·         Gender Quota: No

·         Female candidates in this election: Yes 

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 35 (House of Representatives); 43 (House of Councillors)

·         Human Development Index Position: 20 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: N/A

Disability Data:

·         Is Japan a signatory to CRPD: Yes (28 September 2007)

·         Has Japan ratified CRPD: Yes (20 January 2014)

·         Population with a disability: 19,018,915 (est.)