Constituency - Senkyo (English spelling) constituency

A district is a standard area for dividing the total number of voters into electoral colleges when conducting an election. In other words, an electoral district is an area that is the basic unit for electing representatives such as legislators. When the total number of voters is divided by region, it is called a regional electoral district, and when it is divided by occupation, it is called an occupational electoral district. The former is an electoral district under the regional representation system, and the latter is an electoral district under the functional representation system. Today, in Japan and other countries with parliamentary politics, the regional representation system is the rule, so in general, in the electoral system for public office, the regional division that is the basis for the composition of the electoral college is often called an electoral district. When the number of seats in one electoral district is one, it is called a small-seat constituency system, and when it is two or more, it is called a large-seat constituency system. In Japan, the constituency system for House of Representatives members from 1947 (Showa 22) to 1994 (Heisei 6) was a system in which, in principle, prefectures were divided into several constituencies and three to five representatives were elected from each constituency. Although it has been commonly called a medium-seat constituency system, theoretically it is a large-seat constituency system. The division of constituencies, allocation of seats, voting method, and method of deciding winners have a great influence on how the will of the electorate is reflected in the Diet. For example, the single-seat constituency system and the full-seat constituency system are methods to ensure that the majority in the constituency monopolizes the winners, while the single-seat constituency system and the limited-seat constituency system are methods to guarantee the possibility of minority groups being elected. Issues such as the constituency system, the number of seats, and the voting method tend to be subject to party manipulation, as seen in the so-called gerrymandering, but attention is being paid to the establishment of a third-party body separate from the Diet, such as the British constituency committee, to examine these issues. In Japan, the Public Offices Election Act was amended in 1994 to introduce a mixed system of single-seat constituencies and proportional representation to House of Representatives elections, and the House of Representatives Electoral District Delimitation Council was established in the Prime Minister's Office (now the Cabinet Office) to decide the division of constituencies for the House of Representatives members elected from single-seat constituencies (established in April 1994). The Council will investigate and deliberate on the revision of electoral districts for the House of Representatives, and if necessary, will prepare a revision proposal and make recommendations to the Prime Minister. The council will have a fixed membership of seven members with a term of five years.

[Ryōshi Mitsuhashi]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

選挙を行うにあたって、全体の選挙人を選挙人団に分ける標準となる区域をいう。いいかえると、議員などの代表者を選出する基礎単位となる区域が選挙区である。全体の選挙人を地域別に分割した場合の区域を地域選挙区といい、職域別に分割した場合のそれを職域選挙区という。前者は地域代表制における選挙区であり、後者は職能代表制における選挙区である。今日、わが国をはじめ議会政治の諸国では地域代表制を原則としているので、一般に公職の選挙制度においては、選挙人団構成の基礎となる地域的区画を選挙区という場合が多い。1選挙区における議員定数が1人である場合を小選挙区制、2人以上である場合を大選挙区制という。わが国の1947年（昭和22）から94年（平成6）までの衆議院議員選挙区制は、原則として都道府県を数選挙区に分け、1選挙区から3人ないし5人の議員を選出する制度であり、俗に中選挙区制とよばれてきたが、理論的には大選挙区制である。各選挙区の選挙区割り、定数配分、投票方式、当選者の決定方法などは、選挙民の意思の議会への反映に大きな影響を及ぼす。たとえば、小選挙区制や大選挙区完全連記投票制はその選挙区の多数派をして当選者を独占せしめる方法であり、大選挙区単記投票制や大選挙区制限連記制は少数派からも代表者が選出される可能性を保障する方法である。選挙区制、定数、投票方法などの問題はいわゆるゲリマンダーにみられたように党利党略になりがちであるが、イギリスの区割委員会のような議会とは別の第三者的機関の設置による検討が注目される。わが国では、1994年（平成6）の公職選挙法改正により、衆議院選挙に小選挙区比例代表並立制が導入されることになったが、衆議院小選挙区選出議員の選挙区の区割りに関しては、総理府（現内閣府）に衆議院議員選挙区画定審議会が置かれることになった（1994年4月設置）。同審議会は、衆議院小選挙区選出議員の選挙区の改定に関して調査審議し、必要がある場合は改定案を作成し、内閣総理大臣に勧告する。委員定数は7人で、任期は5年である。

［三橋良士明］

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