2016 Kyoto 3rd district by-election

A by-election for the Kyoto-3rd seat in the Japanese House of Representatives was held on 24 April 2016, coinciding with the by-election in Hokkaido. The seat became vacant after sitting member Kensuke Miyazaki resigned on 12 February 2016 in the midst of an extramarital affair scandal.[1] Miyazaki, a member of the Liberal Democratic Party, served the district from 2012. He defeated Democratic Party MP Kenta Izumi by slim margins in the 2012 (0.1%) and 2014 (2.7%) elections.

2016 Kyoto 3rd district by-election
24 April 2016
Kyoto 3rd district
Turnout30.12%
 
Nominee Kenta Izumi Natsue Mori Yukiko Ono
Party Democratic Innovation Japanese Kokoro
Popular vote 65,051 20,710 6,449
Percentage 65.42% 20.83% 6.49%
 
Nominee Masafumi Tabuchi Mitsuko Ōyagi Akihiko Kōri
Party Independent Happiness Realization Independent
Popular vote 4,599 2,247 370
Percentage 4.63% 2.26% 0.37%
Representative before election

Kensuke Miyazaki
Liberal Democratic

 Elected Representative

Kenta Izumi
Democratic

Izumi managed to wrest back his old seat by a landslide, eclipsing his nearest rival by 45 percentage points.[2][3]

Outline

The district had 344,696 registered voters for the election, an increase of 0.12% since the 2014 general election.[4] As the voting age for national elections was decreased to 18 years in June 2016,[5] this by-election, along with the Hokkaido by-election, were the last national-level election with a minimum voting age of 20 years. The by-elections were the first national-level elections contested by the Democratic Party, Initiatives from Osaka party and Party for Japanese Kokoro under their respective current names.[6] The Communist Party also chose not to field a candidate in the election, despite receiving 27,000 votes (16%) in the 2014 election.[6]

Dates
  • 16 March 2016 - Date of election announced
  • 12 April 2016 - List of candidates published[7]
  • 13–23 April - Early-voting polling booths open[8]
  • 24 April 2016 - Polling day[7]

Candidates

The by-election was a six-way race. The LDP decided against fielding a candidate due to the perceived anti-LDP sentiment in light of the Miyazaki scandal.[9] Party bosses were also worried that a heavy defeat in Kyoto might affect LDP's campaign for the House of Councillors election in summer.[10][11]

Candidates[6]
  Party for Japanese Kokoro Yukiko Ono Endorsed by the New Renaissance Party[6]
  Independent Masafumi Tabuchi
  Happiness Realization Party Mitsuko Ōyagi
  Initiatives from Osaka Natsue Mori
  Democratic Kenta Izumi Endorsed by the Social Democratic Party.[6]
Representative of the district for three terms (2003-2012). Lost the district in 2012 and 2014 but remained in the House via the Kinki PR block.
  Independent Akihiro Kōri

Results
House of Representatives: Kyoto 3rd district by-election, 2016[12][13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Kenta Izumi 65,051 65.42 Increase32.31
Innovation Natsue Mori 20,710 20.83 Increase5.82
Japanese Kokoro Yukiko Ono 6,449 6.49 N/A
Independent Masafumi Tabuchi 4,599 4.63 N/A
Happiness Realization Mitsuko Ōyagi 2,247 2.26 N/A
Independent Akihiko Kōri 370 0.37 N/A
Rejected ballots 4,224 4.08
Majority 44,341 44.59 Increase42.8
Turnout 103,650[14] 30.12
Democratic gain from Liberal Democratic Swing N/A

Note:
1 The percentage swing for the Democratic Party candidate is calculated based on the vote share obtained by its predecessor, DPJ.
2 The percentage swing for the Initiatives from Osaka candidate is calculated based on the vote share obtained by its predecessor, Japan Innovation Party.

References
  1. "Paternity leave trailblazer Miyazaki quits over affair". Japan Times. 12 February 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
  2. "京都３区補選 民進 泉健太氏が当選" [Kyoto 3rd district by-election: Democratic Party's Kenta Izumi has been elected] (in Japanese). NHK. 24 April 2016. Archived from the original on 24 April 2016. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
  3. "LDP-backed candidate Wada projected to win seat in Hokkaido by-election". Japan Times. 24 April 2016. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
  4. "選挙人名簿登録者数　増減比較表" [Registered voters comparison table] (PDF) (in Japanese). 11 April 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 April 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
  5. "選挙権年齢の満１８歳以上への引下げ" [Voting age lowered to 18 years] (in Japanese). Kyoto Prefecture. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
  6. "衆院京都３区補選、６人の争い確定" [Kyoto 3rd by election confirmed as 6-person race] (in Japanese). Kyoto Shimbun. 12 April 2016. Archived from the original on 25 April 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
  7. "京都府広報" [Kyoto Prefecture Gazette] (PDF) (in Japanese). Kyoto Prefecture. 12 April 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 April 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
  8. "衆議院京都府第３区選出議員補欠選挙　期日前投票所に使用する施設について" [Concerning pre-polling locations for the Kyoto 3rd district by-election] (PDF) (in Japanese). Kyoto Prefecture. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 April 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
  9. "Hokkaido and Kyoto by-election campaigns, measure of Abe's strength, get underway". Japan Times. 12 April 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
  10. "LDP decides not to field candidate for by-election in Kyoto". Mainichi Shimbun. 28 February 2016. Archived from the original on 23 April 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
  11. "Hokkaido, Kyoto by-elections a test for both DP and LDP". Japan Times. 7 April 2016. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
  12. "開票結了速報" [Preliminary final results] (PDF) (in Japanese). Kyoto Prefecture. 24 April 2016. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
  13. "衆院京都３区補選" [House of Representatives - Kyoto 3rd district by-election] (in Japanese). NHK. 24 April 2016. Archived from the original on 23 April 2016. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
  14. "選挙当日の有権者数、投票者数及び投票率に関する調 ［投票結了］" [Number of voters on election day and turnout (post-election report)] (PDF) (in Japanese). Kyoto Prefecture. 24 April 2016. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
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