Court decision over vote disparity

AKITA, Japan - Lawyer Hidetoshi Masunaga (C) and other plaintiffs hold a press conference in the city of Akita on March 27, 2013, after the Sendai High Court's Akita branch ruled that a general election result in a northeastern Japan constituency was unconstitutional due to a significant disparity in the weight of votes. The ruling by the court was the last in 16 cases brought by two groups of lawyers over disparities in the weight of votes of up to 2.43 to 1 in the Dec. 16 general election.

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