2009 Japanese general election

Japanese general election, 2009

← 2005 30 August 2009 2012 →
← outgoing members members elected →
All 480 seats to the House of Representatives of Japan 241 seats needed for a majority
Turnout	69.28%
First party Second party Third party   Leader Yukio Hatoyama Tarō Asō Akihiro Ota Party Democratic Liberal Democratic New Kōmeitō Leader since 16 May 2009 22 September 2008 30 September 2006 Leader's seat Hokkaidō-9th Fukuoka-8th Tokyo-12th (lost) Last election 113 seats 36.44% (district) 31.02% (block) 296 seats 47.77% (district) 38.18% (block) 31 seats 1.44% (district) 13.25% (block) Seats before 115 300 31 Seats won 308 119 21 Seat change 193 181 10 Popular vote 33,475,334 (district) 29,844,799 (block) 27,301,982 (district) 18,810,217 (block) 782,984 (district) 8,054,007 (block) Percentage 47.43% (district) 42.41% (block) 38.68% (district) 26.73% (block) 1.11% (district) 11.45% (block)   Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party   Leader Kazuo Shii Mizuho Fukushima Yoshimi Watanabe Party Communist Social Democratic Your Leader since 24 November 2000 15 November 2003 8 August 2009 Leader's seat Minami-Kantō PR not contesting (Coun.) Last election 9 seats 7.25% (district) 7.25% (block) 7 seats 1.46% (district) 5.49% (block) new party Seats before 9 7 4 Seats won 9 7 5 Seat change 0 0 1 Popular vote 2,978,354 (district) 4,943,886 (block) 1,376,739 (district) 3,006,160 (block) 615,244 (district) 3,005,199 (block) Percentage 4.22% (district) 7.03% (block) 1.95% (district) 4.27% (block) 0.87% (district) 4.27% (block)   Seventh party Eighth party Ninth party   PNP Leader Tamisuke Watanuki Yasuo Tanaka Muneo Suzuki Party People's New New Party Nippon New Party Daichi Leader since 17 August 2005 21 August 2005 18 August 2005 Leader's seat Hokuriku-Shin'etsu PR Hyōgo-8th Hokkaidō PR Last election 4 seats 0.64% (district) 1.74% (block) 1 seats 0.20% (district) 2.42% (block) 1 seats 0.02% (district) 0.64% (block) Seats before 4 0 1 Seats won 3 1 1 Seat change 1 1 0 Popular vote 730,570 (district) 1,219,767 (block) 220,223 (district) 528,171 (block) - (district) 433,122 (block) Percentage 1.04% (district) 1.73% (block) 0.31% (district) 0.75% (block) - (district) 0.62% (block)
Parliamentary districts won by
Prime Minister before election Taro Aso Liberal Democratic Prime Minister-designate Yukio Hatoyama Democratic

Taro Aso
Liberal Democratic

Yukio Hatoyama
Democratic

A general election for the Japanese House of Representatives was held on August 30, 2009. The opposition Democratic Party (DPJ) defeated the ruling coalition (Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and New Komeito Party) in a sweeping victory, winning 221 of the 300 electoral districts and receiving 42.4% of the proportional block votes for another 87 seats, a total of 308 seats to only 119 for the LDP (64 districts and 26.7% of the proportional votes).

Under Japan's constitution, this result virtually assured DPJ leader Yukio Hatoyama would be the next Prime Minister of Japan. He was formally named to the post on September 16, 2009. Prime Minister Taro Aso conceded late on the night of August 30, 2009 that the LDP had lost control of the government, and announced his resignation as party president. A leadership election was held on September 28, 2009.

The 2009 election was the first time since World War II that voters mandated a change in control of the government to an opposition political party. It marked the worst defeat for a governing party in modern Japanese history, was only the second time the LDP lost a general election since its formation in 1955, and was the first time that the LDP lost its status as the largest party in the lower house; the only other break in LDP control since 1955 had been for a 3-year period from 1993 to 1996 (first 11 months in opposition, then participating in a coalition government under a Socialist prime minister).

The last general election took place in 2005 in which the LDP, led by popular prime minister Junichiro Koizumi, received 38.2% of the proportional block votes and 47.8% of the district votes cast (the next largest party, the DPJ, received 31% in the proportional and 36.4% in the district vote). Due to the characteristics of the Japanese election system, the LDP ended up with 296 seats in the Lower House (61.6%), which enabled Koizumi to complete the privatization of Japan Post. Since then Japan has had three further prime ministers (Shinzō Abe, Yasuo Fukuda and Taro Aso) who have come to power without there being a general election.

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