Abstract
The article applies the second-order election model developed in Europe to the bicameral contexts in Japan where elections are held in different electoral cycles. By analyzing both the Lower House and Upper House elections held in 2009 and 2010, the article finds that some if not all Japanese voters indeed differentiate the importance of the Lower House (i.e. first-order) election and the Upper House (i.e. second-order) election. The article further demonstrates that this ‘importance of elections’ variable is related to the ways in which voters’ evaluation of government performance affects the voting behavior at both Lower House election in 2009 and Upper House election in 2010. Applying the second-order election model to Japan not only contributes to the further understanding of the behavior of Japanese voters but also develops the second-order election model in national contexts.
