The first stage of the 18th unified local elections (第18回統一地方選挙, dai-jūhachi-kai tōitsu chihō senkyo) in Japan took place on April 12, 2015. The Liberal Democratic Party under leadership of Shinzo Abe was the overall victor, winning many races including all ten gubernatorial races and 1,153 of the 2,284 assembly seats at stake. Further elections for municipal mayors and assemblies took place on April 26.
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In addition to indicating support for the Abe government, the elections were also seen as a referendum on the Japan Innovation Party, and particularly on Osaka mayor Toru Hashimoto's plan to restructure the Osaka prefectural government.
In the first stage, average turnout was estimated at 47.14%, the lowest in the history of Japanese unified elections and the first time that average turnout in unified elections fell below 50%. The total number of prefectural and designated city assembly candidates was also the lowest in history at 3,272, 501 of which (21.9% of seats) ran unopposed. The Democratic Party of Japan fielded 345 candidates, 40% less than the number fielded in the 2011 local elections. Chiba Prefecture had the lowest overall turnout rate at 37%. In the second stage, a record low 9,519 candidates ran for 7,682 seats, and a record high 3.6% of assembly seats were won by default.
Gubernatorial elections
2015 was the first year that Tokyo did not elect a governor in the unified elections, as the elections in 2012 (following Shintaro Ishihara's resignation) and 2014 (following Naoki Inose's resignation) moved Tokyo's gubernatorial election cycle away from the unified election cycle.