Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
took place in April 2007. In the first phase on April 8, 13 governors, 44 prefectural assemblies as well as four mayors and 15 assemblies in cities designated by government ordinance were elected. In the second phase on April 22, mayors and/or assemblies in hundreds of
cities
A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...
towns
A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city.
The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...
and
villages
A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban village ...
were up for election. Additionally, by-elections for the
National Diet
, transcription_name = ''Kokkai''
, legislature = 215th Session of the National Diet
, coa_pic = Flag of Japan.svg
, house_type = Bicameral
, houses =
, foundation=29 November 1890(), leader1_type ...
were held in Fukushima and Okinawa on April 22.
Elections on April 8
* Gubernatorial elections in
**
Hokkaidō
is the second-largest island of Japan and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by railway via the Seikan Tunnel.
The ...
: Governor Harumi Takahashi is reelected for a second term with centre-right support against centre-left candidate Satoshi Arai and a
JCP JCP may refer to: Businesses
*JCPenney, an American department store chain (founded 1902)
*Jim Crockett Promotions, an American wrestling company (founded 1931)
Government and politics
* Jobcentre Plus, United Kingdom (formed 2002)
* Joint Comb ...
candidate.
** Iwate: In Ichirō Ozawa's home prefecture, Democrat
Takuya Tasso
is a Japanese politician and the current governor of Iwate Prefecture. He is a native of Morioka and graduate of the University of Tokyo.
Biography
Tasso joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1988, receiving a master's degree in internati ...
beats four candidates in the race to succeed retiring three-term governor Hiroya Masuda.
**
Tokyo
Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
: Former Liberal Democratic environment minister and incumbent governor Shintarō Ishihara wins a third term.
**
Kanagawa
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the List of Japanese prefectures by population, second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-dens ...
: Governor
Shigefumi Matsuzawa
is a Japanese politician and a current member of the House of Councillors for the Kanagawa at-large district in the Diet of Japan.
Early life
Matsuzawa is a native of Kawasaki, Kanagawa and graduated from Keio University with a bachelor's ...
(former Democratic Diet member) is reelected.
** Fukui: With broad support from non-Communist parties, governor
Issei Nishikawa
is a Japanese politician and a former governor of Fukui Prefecture in Japan. He was elected first in 2003. A native of Asahi, Fukui and graduate of Kyoto University with the B.L. degree in 1968, he joined the Ministry of Home Affairs
An inte ...
wins a second term.
** Mie: With broad support from non-Communist parties, governor Akihiko Noro wins a second term.
**
Nara
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an independent agency of the United States government within the executive branch, charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It is also task ...
: Supported by the centre-right parties, but with only one other Communist candidate, Shōgo Arai is elected to succeed retiring incumbent Yoshiya Kakimoto
** Tottori: Centre-right supported former vice governor Shinji Hirai wins the election against only one Communist challenger and succeeds retiring Yoshihiro Katayama.
** Shimane: With centre-right support Zenbē Mizoguchi beats his only rival candidate, a Communist, to follow retiring Nobuyoshi Sumita as governor.
**
Tokushima
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Tokushima Prefecture has a population of 682,439 (1 February 2025) and has a geographic area of 4,146 Square kilometre, km2 (1,601 sq mi). Tokushima Prefecture b ...
: Governor Kamon Iizumi wins reelection against only one Communist candidate.
**
Fukuoka
is the List of Japanese cities by population, sixth-largest city in Japan and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since ancient times. ...
: Three-term incumbent
Wataru Asō
was a Japanese bureaucrat and politician who served as the Governor of Fukuoka from 1995 to 2011.Shūji Inatomi and a Communist.
**
Saga
Sagas are prose stories and histories, composed in Iceland and to a lesser extent elsewhere in Scandinavia.
The most famous saga-genre is the (sagas concerning Icelanders), which feature Viking voyages, migration to Iceland, and feuds between ...
: Governor Yasushi Furukawa defeats his Communist challenger to win a second term.
** Ōita: Incumbent Katsusada Hirose wins reelection against only one Communist candidate.
* Assembly elections in all prefectures with the exceptions of Ibaraki, Tokyo and Okinawa. In the national aggregate, the Liberal Democratic Party receives 38.4% of the vote, winning 1212 of the 2544 seats. The Democratic Party increases its nationwide vote share to 16.4% and now has 375 prefectural assembly members; in Iwate, it becomes strongest party in a prefectural assembly for the first time. The number of women elected reaches a new record high at 190 of 2544.
* Mayoral elections in
** Sapporo, Hokkaidō: Centre-left-supported
Fumio Ueda
is the former mayor of Sapporo, capital city of Hokkaido, Japan.
Ueda was born in Makubetsu, Hokkaido, and graduated from the law department of Chuo University in 1972. He became an attorney and opened a law practice in 1978. At various times h ...
is reelected for a second term.
** Shizuoka, Shizuoka: Zenkichi Kojima (two terms in office since the elevation to designated city, but before that mayor of the pre-merger Shizuoka since 1994) is reelected
** Hamamatsu, Shizuoka: Former Democratic Diet member Yasutomo Suzuki beats incumbent mayor Yasuyuki Kitawaki (also a former Democrat) by a margin of twelve thousand votes.
** Hiroshima, Hiroshima: Mayor
Tadatoshi Akiba
is a Japanese mathematician and politician and served as the mayor of the city of Hiroshima, Japan from 1999 to 2011.
Early life
He studied mathematics at the University of Tokyo, receiving a B.S. in 1966 and an M.S. in 1968. He continued hi ...
beats former Liberal Democratic Diet member Takeaki Kashimura and two other candidates to win a third term in office.
* Assembly elections in all designated cities except for Shizuoka and Kitakyūshū. In Kawasaki and Nagoya, the Democratic Party wins a plurality of seats, in Sakai the Kōmeitō, in all other cities the LDP is strongest party, though "independents" often form the majority.
Elections on April 22
* By-elections for the national Diet: House of Councillors, Fukushima and
Okinawa
most commonly refers to:
* Okinawa Prefecture, Japan's southernmost prefecture
* Okinawa Island, the largest island of Okinawa Prefecture
* Okinawa Islands, an island group including Okinawa itself
* Okinawa (city), the second largest city in th ...
* Mayoral elections in 96 cities, 13 special wards and many towns and villages
* Assembly elections in hundreds of municipalities, including 21 special wards
Elections with national media coverage included the mayoral races in five prefectural capitals (Mito, Ibaraki; Takamatsu, Kagawa; Matsuyama, Ehima; Nagasaki, Nagasaki: Tomihisa Taue won the election to succeed assassinated mayor Itchō Itō; Ōita, Ōita), in the bankrupt city of Yūbari, Hokkaidō, and in Tōyō, Kōchi where an opponent of a planned site for highly radioactive waste won the election.
The House of Councillors by-elections were won by one LDP-Kōmeitō supported candidate ( Aiko Shimajiri in Okinawa) as replacement for OSMP Councillor Keiko Itokazu, and one Democrat ( Teruhiko Mashiko in Fukushima) as replacement for Democrat
Yūhei Satō
is a former governor of Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. He was first elected in November 2006, after the previous governor, Eisaku Satō, was forced to step down after bribery charges. He chose not to seek a third term in the election held in Octo ...
2007
2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year.
Events
January
* January 1
**Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...