Japanese Voters Abroad Sue Govt over Feb. Election

Tokyo, July 10 (Jiji Press)--Japanese nationals living abroad sued the government Friday, after they were unable to vote by mail in time for the House of Representatives general election in February, which was held only some two weeks after the dissolution of the chamber.

The four plaintiffs in their 40s to 70s who live in Germany, France, Australia and Canada said in the lawsuit filed with Tokyo District Court that the Japanese government had neglected to establish an adequate system enabling expatriates to vote in elections held at home without fail, arguing that this inaction amounted to a violation of the Constitution.

They demanded a total of about 50,000 yen in damages from the government.

The election for the all-important lower chamber of the Diet, Japan's parliament, took place Feb. 8, 16 days after the Jan. 23 Lower House dissolution, the shortest such interval since the end of World War II.

According to the lawsuit, three of the four plaintiffs sent back their ballots soon after they received them from the municipalities concerned, but the ballots did not arrive by the voting day.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]