The Relationship between Income Inequality and Politics in Urban Spaces: Analysis Targeting the Metropolitan Area after the Change of Government in 2012

Abstract

The focus of this paper is on the relationship between income inequality and politics in urban spaces. As a result, in Japan’s metropolitan areas, it was confirmed that the ruling party tended to have a higher vote share in areas with a larger number of low-income groups, and that the left-wing opposition parties tended to have a higher vote share in areas with larger income disparities. Furthermore, it was also confirmed that in regions where the number of high-income groups increased or where income disparity widened, opposition parties seeking to reduce inequality achieved higher vote shares compared to the ruling party.