Tokyo High Court rejects mayor's appeal over invalid ballots in tied election

The Tokyo High Court ruled that two ballots written with "Manjuya" and "Dangosan" were invalid in last year's Kamisu mayoral election, rejecting Mayor Toshiyuki Kiuchi's appeal against the prefectural election commission's decision. The election initially ended in a tie between Kiuchi and Susumu Ishida, with Kiuchi winning by lottery. The court determined these nicknames were common nouns for food shops, not established aliases for Kiuchi, despite his family's 120-year-old confectionery business. If the ruling stands, Ishida will become mayor. The court also upheld a ballot reading "Ta" as valid for Ishida. Similar disputes over mixed-name ballots are being contested in Tochigi Prefecture, raising concerns about election validity.