Upper House Election: Japanese Voters Urged to Cast Their Ballots for House of Councillors Election Early; Polling Day Falls on 3-day Weekend

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:53 JST, July 4, 2025

Early voting for the House of Councillors election began nationwide Friday.

Election administration commissions are encouraging early voting to boost turnout, as polling day, July 20, falls in the middle of a three-day weekend observing the national holiday of Marine Day.

It is the first time since 1952, when current records began, that a national election, excluding by-elections, will be held in the middle day of a three-day weekend, according to the Internal Affairs and Communication Ministry.

Voters who cannot get to the polls on election day can cast their ballots until July 19 at early voting locations set up by municipalities where they are registered. As of Friday, the ministry said 6,905 such locations have been set up.

Turnout for upper house electoral district elections reached a record high of 74.54% in the 1980 election, which was held on the same day as the House of Representatives election. However, voter turnout plummeted to 50.72% in 1992 before remaining stagnant in the 40%-50% range since then. The previous 2022 election saw a 52.05% turnout, the fourth lowest since the record low of 44.52% in 1995.

The early voting system allows people who work, travel or have prior commitments on election day to cast their ballots starting from the day after an election campaign officially begins to the day before the election. The system was first introduced in the 2004 upper house election. Voters using this system have increased, accounting for 36.74% of total voters in 2022.

The upcoming election coincides with summer vacation for elementary and junior high schools, and many voters will likely take advantage of the long holiday period to travel far away. Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Keiichiro Tachibana urged voters at a press conference on Thursday to “make use of early voting if they are unable to vote on election day.”