인구감소에 따른 헌법상 국민주권주의와 선거제도의 변화

The phenomenon of population decline and the emergence of a low-birth-rate, aging society can bring about significant constitutional changes. First, it may lead to changes in national sovereignty, which in turn could impact electoral systems. Additionally, regional disparities may threaten the existence of local self-governance, raising fundamental questions about equality and justice. These are issues that require further research. This article will focus on the implications for national sovereignty, democracy, and electoral systems. In a demographic structure characterized by low birth rates, a decline in new population growth, and an increase in the elderly population, there is a corresponding decrease in the number of voters who can actively participate in elections. This indicates that it becomes more difficult to engage in the formation of new public opinions. It is necessary to predict how changes in suffrage, including voting rights, will occur in response to these demographic shifts. This raises fundamental questions about democracy, which expresses national sovereignty based on a representative system, and demands a reimagining of its acceptance in a transformed form. Examples of this include the expansion of participatory democracy and the emergence of "silver democracy", which reflect various changes in electoral systems. To explore these issues, this article examines discussions surrounding Japan’s electoral system, a country experiencing rapid population decline similar to our own, to derive directions for improvement.