"Last Vote Was 52 Years Ago"... Village in Japan with 13 Consecutive Uncontested Winners Draws Attention

As Japan's unified local elections have completed the first half and await the second half, concerns are rising that local elections themselves may disappear as uncontested candidates are emerging one after another in towns and villages, which are equivalent to basic local government units. In some areas, uncontested candidates have been elected without elections for over 50 years, raising questions about whether the meaning of the local autonomy system itself is fading.

On the 19th, NHK Political Magazine reported on the village of Shosanbetsu in Hokkaido, which has not held an election for 52 years. Since 1971, the village has produced village heads without voting in 13 local elections. This time as well, the village head was elected uncontested, renewing the record for the most uncontested elections in Hokkaido.

Village head Noriyuki Miyamoto elected without opposition. (Photo by NHK Political Magazine)

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NHK analyzed that the background of this 'vote passing' lies in the past experience of the village being divided due to overheated village head elections and population decline. In the 1971 local election, the previous election, a candidate who was a former regional superintendent of education and a candidate who was a former agricultural cooperative executive fiercely competed over the village. The competition between the opposing candidates became so intense that each candidate's camp even deployed guards in their stronghold areas to block the other side's spies, and daily monitoring was conducted to track who intended to cast votes for which side. At that time, the voter turnout was as high as 96.63%, showing the villagers' strong interest.

However, from the day of vote counting, detectives began investigations in the village. Starting with the local newspaper, losing candidates, their siblings, and campaign executives were successively arrested for violations of the Public Offices Election Act.

Afterwards, a mood spread in the village saying, "Elections are tiresome," and "The fierce elections divided the village," urging not to disrupt local harmony. From then on, the tradition of uncontested elections continued by narrowing down candidates to one 'administrator' from the village office without competitors. Since 1971, all village heads have been from the village office and conduct election campaigns for only one day. The newly elected 65-year-old village head, Noriyuki Miyamoto, has been serving his fifth term since 2007.

Village Chief Noriyuki Miyamoto campaigning during the election. (Photo by NHK Political Magazine)

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Additionally, severe aging and population decline, to the extent that political newcomers cannot appear, have been pointed out as causes. Asahi Shimbun noted, "Shosanbetsu was a village thriving in agriculture and fisheries with a population of 5,640 in 1955, but the population has continuously decreased, with 3,500 at the last election and only 1,080 currently." A man in his 70s who voted in the last election told Asahi, "Now there are no aftereffects of election battles, but the population has decreased to the point where there is no one to serve as village head."

Although the tradition of avoiding political strife continues, Japanese media expressed concerns that village leaders ascending to their positions without going through the democratic procedure of voting pose another problem in terms of democratic processes.

Mr. Narita, a former village council member, said in an interview with NHK, "This is a fishing village where everyone was lively, but after the last election, everyone fell into a rut," and added, "I hope enthusiastic newcomers with their own ideas will run for office and continue the village's development."

The problem is that uncontested elections are not limited to Hokkaido. As the registration for candidates for town and village heads (local government heads) in the local elections closed the day before, cases of local government heads being elected uncontested due to running alone have surged.

According to Kyodo News, out of 125 places where local government head elections are held this time, uncontested 'bloodless entries' occurred in more than half, 70 places. Although there is no official data from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Shosanbetsu in Hokkaido holds the top record for 13 consecutive uncontested local elections. However, on a national level, Himeshima village in Oita Prefecture is known to hold the top record with 16 consecutive uncontested elections.

Political experts in Japan expressed concerns that uncontested elections shake the foundation of democracy. Professor Hiroshi Shiratori of Hosei University said in a TV interview, "In the case of uncontested elections, voters cannot make policy choices through candidates. Without voting to express their will, public opinion cannot be reflected," and added, "If uncontested elections increase and electoral districts are merged or abolished, there is a high risk of regional imbalance where only populous areas elect representatives."

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