Polling for the 23rd House of Councillors election took place on July 21. Seventeen candidates were elected on the DPJ ticket, 10 from electoral districts and 7 from the PR list.

In a press conference in the early hours of July 22, DPJ President Banri Kaieda commented on the result of the election, saying “The people’s trust in the DPJ has not been restored. Reform of our party is still a work in progress. We must still be prepared to eat humble pie.”