Overview
- Presiding Judge Yukio Shinada of the Tokyo District Court dismissed the case on October 24.
- The court also rejected claims for 100,000 yen per plaintiff in damages tied to alleged legislative inaction.
- Japan’s election law requires candidates to be 30 or older for House of Councillors and prefectural governor races, and 25 or older for the House of Representatives and other elections.
- Six plaintiffs in their 20s said their filings for the 2023 unified local elections were refused due to the age limits.
- The plaintiffs cited constitutional Articles 15 and 44 in arguing the rules are discriminatory, while the government said the thresholds reflect the Diet’s discretion and the need for social experience.