Japanese general election, 1993

Japanese general election, 1993

23 July 1993
All 511 seats to the House of Representatives of Japan 256 seats needed for a majority
Turnout	67.26%
Majority party Minority party   Leader Morihiro Hosokawa Kiichi Miyazawa Party Eight-Party Coalition (JSP/S/KP/JNP/DSP/NPS/SDF) Liberal Democratic Last election — 275 seats, 46.1% Seats before — 222 Seats won 243 223 Seat change — 1 Popular vote 30,522,232 22,999,646 Percentage 48.6% 36.6%
Prime Minister before election Kiichi Miyazawa Liberal Democratic Prime Minister-designate Morihiro Hosokawa New Party

Japan held a nationwide election to the House of Representatives, the more powerful lower house of the National Diet, on July 18, 1993.

Overview

Japan's relatively larger growth compared to other developed countries during the 80's that was the result of the real estate bubble had crashed and the 1993 election occurred at a time when the economy went into recession, dimming prospects for the ruling LDP. The consumption tax and the Recruit scandal as well, seriously affected the popularity of the long-time ruling Liberal Democratic Party. Along with the opposition MPs, members of some factions of the LDP cast a vote of no confidence against prime minister Kiichi Miyazawa; in response Miyazawa decided to dissolve the House of Representatives. Some LDP dissidents then left the party and formed new parties. The rebellion within the LDP was largely led by former finance and agriculture minister Tsutomu Hata and political fixer Ichiro Ozawa.

Until the 1993 election, rural voters effectively had three times the weight in elections that urban voters had, and the LDP governments had subsidized rural areas at the expense or urban taxpayers. The LDP had also promoted regulations that helped entrenched businesses at the expense of consumers, and its leaders had historically had difficulty being prominent on the world stage. There were hopes prior to the election that the Hata-led coalition could change this situation.

Results

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party lost its overall majority for the first time since 1983 and also failed to form the government for the first time since 1955. They were replaced by an eight-party coalition headed by Morihiro Hosokawa, who was elected prime minister.

The coalition government collapsed after 10 months when the Socialist Party and New Party Sakigake left the government. The Socialist Party decided to form a coalition government with Liberal Democratic Party in 1994, returning the LDP to power.

 Summary of the 18 July 1993 Japanese House of Representatives election results

Alliances and parties		Candidates	Votes	%	+/-	Seats	+/- (last gen. election)	+/- (dissolution)
	Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Jiyūminshutō	285	22,999,646	36.62%	9.49	223	52	1
	Japanese Socialist Party (JSP) Nihon Shakaitō	142	9,687,588	15.43%	8.96	70	66	66
	Shinseito Shinseitō ("Renewal Party")	69	6,341,364	10.10%	(10.10)	55	(55)	19
	Komeito Kōmeitō ("Justice Party")	54	5,114,351	8.14%	0.16	51	6	6
	Japan New Party (JNP) Nihon Shintō	57	5,053,981	8.05%	(8.05)	35	(35)	35
	Democratic Socialist Party (DSP) Minshatō	28	2,205,682	3.51%	1.33	15	1	1
	New Party Sakigake Shintō Sakigake ("New Party Harbinger")	16	1,658,097	2.64%	(2.64)	13	(13)	3
	Social Democratic Federation (SDF) Shakaiminshu Rengō	4	461,169	0.73%	0.13	4	0	0
	Non-communist opposition (JSP, center-left opposition & LDP defectors)	370	30,522,232	48.60%	10.53	243	44	2
	Japanese Communist Party (JCP) Nihon Kyōsantō	129	4,834,587	7.70%	0.26	15	1	1
	Others	62	143,486	0.23%	(0.29)	0	(1)	0
	Independents	109	4,304,188	6.85%	0.46	30	9	1
Total (turnout 67.26%)		955	62,804,145	100.00%	0	511	1 (reapportionment)	1

Vote share
LDP			36.62%
JSP			15.43%
JRP			10.10%
KP			8.14%
JNP			8.05%
JCP			7.70%
DSP			3.51%
NPH			2.64%
SDF			0.73%
Independents			6.85%
Others			0.23%

Parliament seats
LDP			43.64%
JSP			13.70%
JRP			10.76%
KP			9.98%
JNP			6.85%
JCP			2.94%
DSP			2.94%
NPH			2.54%
SDF			0.78%
Independents			5.87%