The Japanese Local Elections Dataset

This is a preliminary release of two different data sets of Japan's prefectural assembly elections. The first dataset is known as "JERRY" -- a product of data collection efforts by Jun Saito, Ethan Scheiner, Rob Weiner, Ryota Natori, and Yusaku Horiuchi. It includes the municipality-level data of all prefectural assembly elections (including by-elections) held between 1985 to 2004. The second dataset is compiled by Ryota Natori. It includes the municipality-level data of prefectural assembly elections (including by-elections) held between 2003 and 2017. The Natori dataset also includes candidates' profiles. Horiuchi and Natori decided to release these datasets as the Japanese Local Elections Dataset (JLED). We plan to release more data (e.g., gubernatorial elections, mayoral elections, etc.). If you notice any error or if you are interested in expanding and cleaning the JLED, please contact Horiuchi.