Record 42 Women Elected to Japan’s Upper House

From Jiji

July 21 2025

TOKYO – Forty-two women were elected to the House of Councillors in Sunday’s election, hitting a record high for the upper chamber of Japan’s parliament. 
   The number of female candidates reached 152, the second highest on record. Of them, 27.6 pct were elected, surpassing the success rate of 22.4 for male candidates.
   Women made up 33.6 pct of all elected candidates, exceeding 30 pct for the first time.
   Of the 42 women elected, 27 won constituency seats and 15 secured proportional representation seats. The previous record high of 35 female winners was struck in the previous Upper House election in 2022.
   By party, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan had the largest number of female winners at 12, accounting for 54.5 pct of its elected members.