Abstract
The word "democracy" comes from the ancient Greek: "demos", which means people, and "kratos", which means rule or strength. Indeed, democracy is a system of government in which people have the power over their destiny. The etymology of the word democracy reminds us that election, which is the way people can exercise their power, is the basis of democracy. The choice of an electoral system is then crucial for any democracy. Moreover, once the choice is done, it is difficult to reform it. Japan experienced a change in its electoral system in 1994: the single non transferable vote (SNTV) was abandoned, and a mixed system was adopted. This change affected the two major elections in Japan: the general election for the House of Representatives or lower house held every four years, and the elections for the House of Councilors or upper house, held every three years to choose one half of its members.
