[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyunjung] The number of early voters in the Japanese House of Councillors election has reached an all-time high. It is believed that the shooting death of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the 8th influenced this outcome.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications announced on the 10th that the number of early voters nationwide for the House of Councillors election was 19.61 million. This surpasses the previous record of 17.06 million in the 2019 election, which had one less day of voting, by approximately 2.55 million, marking the highest level ever for the House of Councillors election. The proportion of early voters among all eligible voters rose by 2.5 percentage points to 18.6% compared to the previous election.
Early voting is a system available to those who cannot vote on the official election day due to work, travel, or other reasons. This time, it was conducted over 17 days from June 23, the day after the official announcement, until July 9, the day before the vote counting.
Compared to 2004, when early voting was first introduced with 7.17 million voters, the number of voters has nearly tripled. The highest record for early voting in national elections was in the 2017 House of Representatives election, with 21.37 million participants. At that time, the approach of Typhoon No. 21 on the voting day was expected, which led to higher participation than usual. The local Nihon Keizai Shimbun reports that the increase is due to more voters completing their voting during daily activities such as commuting, attending school, or shopping. During the election campaign period, each party also encouraged early voting through street speeches and the internet to solidify support among their base.
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