Japan: the Election Administration Commission

General information about the Election Administration Commission of Japan

Election Administration Commission

The Election Administration Commission was established as an institution independent from the mayor to provide for fair elections.The commission is composed of four members elected by the City Council. The Election Administration Commission Secretariat provides election information to the public, along with conducting the commission's general affairs and various national and regional election work including the preparation of electoral rolls and acting in an advisory capacity for the Ward Election Administration Commissions.

Organization

Election Administration Commission
Election Administration Commission Secretariat - Election Department
Ward Election Administration Commissions - Secretariats (24 wards)

Election Outline

• Election Principles
  Elections are the cornerstone of democracy.
  Japan's constitution stipulates three election principles.
  1. Universal suffrage
     Voting is a right held by all citizens of age.
  2. Equal voting
     Every person is entitled to one vote, regardless of gender, wealth, education, etc.
  3. Secret ballots
     Elections are conducted in a manner that protects the privacy of the voter.

  In addition, the following two principles are protected.

  1. Free elections
     Elections are conducted according to the free will of the elector.
  2. Direct elections
     Electors directly elect their representatives

• Main types of elections
• Diet members (House of Representatives, House of Councilors)
• Regional Representatives (Prefectural and Municipal Assembly Members or Councilors)
• Heads of Local Public Bodies (Governors, Mayors)

Elections in Osaka City

Election	Voter Eligibility	Candidate Eligibility
Members of the House of Representatives (small electoral district, proportional representation)	Japanese citizen, 20 years of age or older.	Japanese citizen, 25 years of age or older.
Members of the House of Councilors (electoral district, proportional representation)		Japanese citizen, 30 years of age or older.
Governor of Osaka Pref.	Japanese citizen, 20 years of age or older who has lived in Osaka City for at least three months may vote in Osaka City. Those who resided in Osaka City for at least three months, but who now live elsewhere in the prefecture are also eligible to vote in Osaka City (electors may vote only once).	Japanese citizen, 30 years of age or older.
Osaka Pref. Assembly Members		Must meet the elector requirements and be 25 years of age or older.
Mayor of Osaka City	Japanese citizen, 20 years of age or older who has lived in Osaka City for at least three months.	Japanese citizen, 25 years of age or older.
Osaka City Councilors (Municipal Assembly)		Must meet the elector requirements and be 25 years of age or older.

Voting age is as of election day.
The above requirements do not apply to those who have lost their voting or candidate eligibility due to a criminal conviction, etc.

Work Outline

• Election Administration Commission Meetings
  The Election Administration Commission deliberates on matters that fall under the authority of the commission, such as registration on electoral rolls, election management and voter awareness.

• Registration of electoral rolls
  In order to vote, an eligible voter must be registered.Elector rolls are regularly updated by the Ward Election Administration Commissions based on the basic resident register.

• Registration of overseas electoral rolls
  There is a system by which overseas residents can participate in national level elections. To vote absentee, it is necessary to be registered on the Election Administration Commission's absentee voter rolls. Those who meet eligibility requirements can be registered as absentee voters upon application to the commission.

• Election management
  As stipulated by law, the commission is responsible for the administration of Diet elections (House of Representatives and House of Councilors), prefectural and municipal assemblies, governors, and mayors as well as the elections of other public offices such as the Agricultural Commission.

• Voter awareness
  In order to combat bribery and electoral fraud and to ensure fair and equal elections that reflect the mind of the electorate, the commission hosts various lectures, publishes a newsletter, collects election-related posters, displays campaign ads, etc.

• Electoral roll preparation for the Agricultural Commission
  The Agricultural Commission is an administrative commission independent from the mayor that represents the general interests of agriculture and farmers. Some of the Commission members are elected and voters must be registered on the Agricultural Commission's electoral roll. This roll is prepared by the Election Administration Commission.

• Electoral roll preparation for the Osaka Marine Fisheries Commission
  The Marine Fisheries Commission is in charge of fishery matters in the Osaka Marine District. Some of the Commission members are elected and voters must be registered on the Fisheries Commission's electoral roll. This roll is prepared by the Election Administration Commission.

• Selecting committee members for prosecution inquests
  The prosecution inquest is a system that allows citizens to review whether the decisions by public prosecutors to drop criminal cases are appropriate or not.Members of the inquest are selected by the inquest committee secretariat in a lottery drawing conducted by the Election Administration Commission from the electoral roll.

• Petition signature verification
  Regional politics consist of an indirect democratic system whereby citizens elect representatives.However, petitions allow citizens to directly participate in the democratic system, and are widely recognized.There are many types of petitions such as ordinance enactment petitions, audit petitions, petitions for the dismissal of an assembly member, governor or mayor, etc.Petitions require a fixed number of signatures by eligible voters.The Election Administration Commission determines the validity of all signatures, reports the total numbers, etc.

Questions?

Contact the Election Administration Commission Secretariat, Election Department
Address: 3-20 Nakanoshima 1-chome, Kita-ku, Osaka City 530-8201
Tel:06-6208-8511(Japanese Only) Fax:06-6204-0900