At stake in this election:

• 500 seats in the House of Representatives (Shugi-in)

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: Emperor AKIHITO
• Head of Government: Prime Minister HASHIMOTO Ryutaro
• Assembly: Japan has a bicameral Diet (Kokkai) consisting of the House of Councillors (Sangi-in) with 252 seats and the House of Representatives (Shugi-in) with 500 seats.

Description of electoral system:

• The Emperor is hereditary. 
• In the House of Councillors (Sangi-in), 100 members are through a party-list proportional representation system to serve 6-year terms and 152 members are elected to serve 6-year terms*. In the House of Representatives (Shugi-in), 300 members are elected in single-member constituencies to serve 4-year terms and 200 members are elected by proportional representation to serve 4-year terms.

* All members of the House of Councillors are elected for six-year terms, with one half the membership renewed every three years.

Main parties in the electoral race:

• Party: Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)
  • Seats won in last election: 223
• Party: Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ)**
  • Seats won in last election: N/A
• Party: Japan Communist Party (JCP)
  • Seats won in last election: 15
• Party: Komei Party****
  • Seats won in last election: 51
• Party: Liberal Party
  • Seats won in last election: N/A
• Party: Social Democratic Party (SDP)
  • Seats won in last election: 70

** The DPJ was formed after the last election.
**** The Komei Party was formed after the last election.

Last Parliamentary election:

• Elections to the House of Representatives were last held on 18 July 1993. 

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 125,757,000 (1996 est.)
• Registered Voters: 97,680,719 (1996)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 64,138,810 (1996)

·         Is Japan a signatory to CEDAW: Yes (17 July 1980)

·         Has Japan ratified CEDAW: Yes (25 June 1985)

·         Gender Quota: No

·         Female candidates in this election: Yes 

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 23 (House of Representatives); 35 (House of Councillors)

·         Human Development Index Position: 20 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: N/A

Disability Data:

·         Is Japan a signatory to CRPD: Yes (28 September 2007)

·         Has Japan ratified CRPD: Yes (20 January 2014)

·         Population with a disability: 18,863,550 (est.)