4th court rules Oct. election vote gap in unconstitutional state

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4th court rules Oct. election vote gap in unconstitutional state

A Japanese court ruled Tuesday that the vote weight disparity in last October's lower house election was "in a state of unconstitutionality" but stopped short of nullifying the outcome, becoming the fourth court to make such a decision. The ruling by the Akita branch of the Sendai High Court in northeastern Japan was the eighth to be handed down in a slew of lawsuits filed by groups of lawyers at 14 high courts and their branches nationwide over the 2.08-fold vote weight disparity in the Oct. 31 House of Representatives election. Among the seven high court rulings handed down by Monday, three ruled the results were "in a state of unconstitutionality" but stopped short of nullifying the outcome, while four dismissed the suits, saying the election was constitutional. All the high court rulings will be completed by March 9, after which the Supreme Court is expected to make a unified decision.

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