Category: Election

by Michael Gillan Peckitt June 20, 2026 Number of comments0
Barrier Free Blind Disability Discrimination Election Japan

Miyazaki Disabled Man Gave Up on Voting After Mother’s Help Deemed Interference by Polling Station Staff

According to the city and other sources, the man requires assistance with walking and also has a visual impairment. He visited the polling station together with his mother. Because it took him some time to complete his ballot, his mother spoke to him while standing nearby. However, polling station staff judged her actions to constitute “voting interference,” which is prohibited under the Public Offices Election Act.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt February 10, 2026 Number of comments0
Election Japan Podcast Politics Sanae Takaichi Sanseito

Japan Lower House Election 2026: Barrier Free Japan’s ‘Two Yen Worth’ Analysis [Podcast Episode]

As of the evening of February 9th, according to Jiji Press, Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party secured a historic landslide victory in Sunday’s House of Representatives election, winning 316 seats to occupy a standalone two-thirds majority of the 465 seats in the all-important lower chamber of the Diet, the country’s parliament.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt February 9, 2026 Number of comments0
Disability Election Japan Podcast Politics

LDP Wins Two-Thirds Majority, Sanseito and Team Mirai Gain Seats [Podcast Episode]

Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party secured a two-thirds majority in the House of Representatives in Sunday’s general election, delivering a strong mandate for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and enhancing her ability to advance key policies. Holding more than 310 seats in the 465-member chamber allows the party to pursue constitutional revision and pass legislation even if rejected by the House of Councillors, where the ruling bloc lacks a majority. Meanwhile, the minor populist party Sanseito expanded its lower house presence to 13 seats from two, though its leader voiced dissatisfaction with the outcome, while Team Mirai won its first seat in the Lower House, according to early returns.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt February 9, 2026 1
Disability Election Japan Politics Sanae Takaichi Sanseito

LDP Wins Two-Thirds Majority, Sanseito and Team Mirai Gain Seats

Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party secured a two-thirds majority in the House of Representatives in Sunday’s general election, delivering a strong mandate for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and enhancing her ability to advance key policies. Holding more than 310 seats in the 465-member chamber allows the party to pursue constitutional revision and pass legislation even if rejected by the House of Councillors, where the ruling bloc lacks a majority. Meanwhile, the minor populist party Sanseito expanded its lower house presence to 13 seats from two, though its leader voiced dissatisfaction with the outcome, while Team Mirai won its first seat, according to early returns.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt February 7, 2026 Number of comments0
Barrier Free Disability Election Japan

Japan Disability Forum Calls for Better Polling Station Access

Ahead of the House of Representatives election to be held and counted on the 8th, the Japan Disability Forum, comprising 59 disability organizations and related groups, submitted a written request to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications on January 20 concerning voting by people with disabilities. Pointing out that there are still disparities in how municipal election management committees respond, the group called for wider dissemination of the ministry’s guide, “Examples of Polling Station Responses for Persons with Disabilities,” and for thorough implementation of reasonable accommodations in voting.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt February 7, 2026 Number of comments0
Election Foreign Residents Japan

Ahead of Election JIP, Sanseito Call for Cap on Foreigners in Japan [Podcast Episode]

The Japan Innovation Party and Sanseito have called for setting a cap on the percentage of foreign nationals in Japan’s population in their promises to voters for Sunday’s House of Representatives election. By contrast, the Liberal Democratic Party, the JIP’s ally in the ruling camp, makes no mention of such a cap in its election platform. The Centrist Reform Alliance, a new opposition party created by Lower House lawmakers from the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and Komeito, considers such a cap a premature measure.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt February 4, 2026 1
Election Foreign Residents Immigration Japan Politics

JIP, Sanseito Call for Cap on Foreigners in Japan

The Japan Innovation Party and Sanseito have called for setting a cap on the percentage of foreign nationals in Japan’s population in their promises to voters for Sunday’s House of Representatives election. By contrast, the Liberal Democratic Party, the JIP’s ally in the ruling camp, makes no mention of such a cap in its election platform. The Centrist Reform Alliance, a new opposition party created by Lower House lawmakers from the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and Komeito, considers such a cap a premature measure.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt February 4, 2026 Number of comments0
Election Japan Podcast Politics Sanae Takaichi

Takaichi Cancels TV Debate due to Hand Injury [Podcast Episode]

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi canceled her appearance in a television debate program Sunday morning as she injured her hand during the campaign trail for the Feb. 8 general election. Takaichi posted on X, formerly Twitter, that she injured her hand during her campaign activities in the past couple of days and has been receiving treatment. “When I shook hands with a person who supports me enthusiastically, my hand was pulled hard and I hurt it,” she said, adding, “I have chronic rheumatoid arthritis, so my hand became swollen.”