Record 26 million vote early in Japan's upper house election
From July 4, a day after the start of official campaigning, to Saturday, a total of 26,181,865 people voted nationwide, accounting for 25.12 percent of eligible voters, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.
The figure surpassed the previous record set in the 2022 upper house election, when about 19.61 million people voted early, accounting for 18.68 percent of eligible voters. Early voting has been on the rise since the system was introduced in 2004.
Sunday's election marks the first time under Japan's post-World War II Constitution that a voting day for a national election, excluding by-elections, has fallen on the middle day of a three-day holiday.
All of the country's 47 prefectures recorded higher early voter turnout compared to 2022, with the national average rising 1.33-fold. The largest increases were seen in Miyazaki and Kumamoto, both in southwestern Japan.
The 26.18 million early votes also surpassed the record 21.38 million cast in the 2017 election for the more powerful House of Representatives.
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