Top court finds 2022 poll constitutional

Jiji Press

17:25 JST, October 18, 2023

TOKYO (Jiji Press)— The Supreme Court on Wednesday found the July 2022 House of Councillors election constitutional in terms of vote-value disparity.

The top court’s Grand Bench issued the ruling, acting on lawsuits filed by two groups of lawyers, who had called for the results of the election for the upper house to be nullified, claiming that the poll violated the Constitution due to wide vote-value gaps.

In the election, the maximum vote-value disparity stood at 3.03 times.

Among the high court and high court branch rulings, seven found the election constitutional, while eight said that it was held in a “state of unconstitutionality.” Only Sendai High Court ruled the election unconstitutional.