Japanese general election, 2017

Japanese general election, 2017

← 2014 22 October 2017
All 465 seats to the House of Representatives of Japan: 289 first-past-the-post in single-member districts, 176 by d'Hondt proportional in 11 regional blocs
First party Second party Third party   Leader Shinzō Abe Seiji Maehara Natsuo Yamaguchi Party Liberal Democratic Democratic Komeito Leader since 26 September 2012 1 September 2017 8 September 2009 Leader's seat Yamaguchi-4th Kyoto-2nd not contesting (Coun.) Last election 291 seats 48.1% (district) 33.11% (block) New 35 seats 1.5% (district) 13.71% (block) Seats before 290 seats 97 seats 35 seats   Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party   Leader Kazuo Shii Ichirō Matsui Yuriko Koike Party Communist Initiatives Kibō no Tō Leader since 24 November 2000 2 November 2015 25 September 2017 Leader's seat Minami-Kantō PR not contesting (Gov. of Osaka) not contesting (Gov. of Tokyo) Last election 21 seats 13.3% (district) 11.37% (block) New New Seats before 21 seats 15 seats 11 seats
Parliamentary districts not including proportional blocks
Prime Minister before election Shinzō Abe Liberal Democratic Prime Minister-designate TBD

Shinzō Abe
Liberal Democratic

TBD

The 48th general election of members of the House of Representatives (第48回衆議院議員総選挙, dai-yonjūhachikai Shūgiin giin sōsenkyo) is due to take place on October 22, 2017. Voting will take place in all Representatives constituencies of Japan – 289 single-member districts and eleven proportional blocks –, in order to appoint all 465 members (down from 475) of the House of Representatives, the lower house of the then 707-member bicameral National Diet of Japan. As the cabinet has to resign after a general House of Representatives election in the first post-election Diet session (Constitution, Article 70), the lower house election will also lead to a new designation election of the Prime Minister in the Diet, and the appointment of a new cabinet (even if the same ministers are re-appointed).

Under the post-occupation interpretation of Article 7 of the Constitution, the cabinet may instruct the Emperor to dissolve the House of Representatives before the end of term at will. Elections must be held within 40 days after dissolution.

The only time in postwar history that the House of Representatives was not dissolved before the end of its term was in 1976. If the House of Representatives completes a full four-year term, the election must be held within 30 days before that. Under certain conditions if the Diet is in session or scheduled to open at that time, the election could take place somewhat beyond the actual end of term under the "public offices election act" (kōshokusenkyohō).

As of June 2015, the Democratic Party of Japan was reportedly preparing a roster of up to 250 candidates so as to be prepared in the event that the next general election was to be held alongside the House of Councillors election in the summer of 2016.