2013 election vote gap in state of unconstitutionality

2013 election vote gap in state of unconstitutionality

TOKYO, Japan - Lawyer Hidetoshi Masunaga (C) meets with reporters on Nov. 26, 2014, in Tokyo, after Japan's Supreme Court ruled the disparity in the weight of votes in the 2013 House of Councillors election is in a state of unconstitutionality. Masunaga filed the lawsuit together with other lawyers.

2013 election vote gap in state of unconstitutionality

2013 election vote gap in state of unconstitutionality

TOKYO, Japan - Lawyer Hidetoshi Masunaga (C) meets with reporters on Nov. 26, 2014, in Tokyo, after Japan's Supreme Court ruled the disparity in the weight of votes in the 2013 House of Councillors election is in a state of unconstitutionality. Masunaga filed the lawsuit together with other lawyers.

Court decision over vote disparity

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.

Nichia, Nakamura settle high-profile suit on blue LED patent

Nichia, Nakamura settle high-profile suit on blue LED patent

TOKYO, Japan - Hidetsohi Masunaga, a lawyer for Shuji Nakamura who developed the blue light-emitting diode (LED), speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Jan. 11 after Nakamura and Nichia Corp. reached a settlement on their dispute over the patent for the diode.

Nichia, Nakamura settle high-profile suit on blue LED patent

Nichia, Nakamura settle high-profile suit on blue LED patent

TOKYO, Japan - Hidetsohi Masunaga, a lawyer for Shuji Nakamura who developed the blue light-emitting diode (LED), speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Jan. 11 after Nakamura and Nichia Corp. reached a settlement on their dispute over the patent for the diode. (Kyodo)

Top court to rule on vote value disparity suits

Top court to rule on vote value disparity suits

A group of lawyers, led by Hidetoshi Masunaga (C), head to the Supreme Court in Tokyo on Oct. 28, 2015, to attend a hearing over a lawsuit in which they are seeking the nullification of the 2014 general election, arguing it was held under an unacceptable disparity in the value of votes. The top court will hand down a ruling by the end of 2015. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

2013 election vote gap in state of unconstitutionality

2013 election vote gap in state of unconstitutionality

TOKYO, Japan - Lawyer Hidetoshi Masunaga (C) meets with reporters on Nov. 26, 2014, in Tokyo, after Japan's Supreme Court ruled the disparity in the weight of votes in the 2013 House of Councillors election is in a state of unconstitutionality. Masunaga filed the lawsuit together with other lawyers. (Kyodo)

Top court rules vote gap in 2016 upper house poll constitutional

Top court rules vote gap in 2016 upper house poll constitutional

A group of lawyers, led by Hidetoshi Masunaga (2nd from R in front row), heads to the Japanese Supreme Court in Tokyo on Sept. 27, 2017, to hear a ruling on a disparity in the weight of votes in the July 2016 upper house election. The court ruled the vote disparity to be constitutional, following more than a dozen conflicting rulings from lower courts. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Vote gap in July election ruled "constitutional" in final suit

Vote gap in July election ruled "constitutional" in final suit

Hidetoshi Masunaga, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, holds a press conference in Nagoya on Nov. 8, 2016, after the Nagoya High Court ruled the vote weight gap in the July upper house election was "constitutional" in the last of 16 similar lawsuits filed nationwide. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo