Latest news with #PublicOfficesElectionLaw
Asahi Shimbun
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Asahi Shimbun
Case against Hyogo governor now in the hands of prosecutors
KOBE--Hyogo prefectural police have sent papers to prosecutors concerning last year's Hyogo gubernatorial election and suspected violations of the Public Offices Election Law, according to investigative sources. Papers referred to prosecutors are on the case against Hyogo Governor Motohiko Saito and the president of a public relations company based in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture. However, Hyogo police made no formal announcement about the action nor recommend to prosecutors whether indictments were warranted. The latest move followed a criminal complaint filed against Saito and the company president. It alleges that Saito paid the PR firm about 700,000 yen ($4,800) to handle part of his campaign last autumn. The Kobe District Public Prosecutors Office and Hyogo prefectural police in February mounted a search of the offices of public relations company merchu inc. into possible violations of the Public Offices Election Law. Prosecutors will now decide if indictments are warranted against Saito and the merchu president. Saito met with reporters on June 20 and repeated his claims that no laws were broken during his gubernatorial campaign. The merchu president has not spoken with the media since the allegations first surfaced.
Yomiuri Shimbun
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Tokyo Assembly Race Kicks Off: Voters Must Carefully Ascertain Information before Casting Ballots
With the nation's capital facing many issues, such as high prices, a declining birth rate, an aging population and disaster preparedness measures, how should the future of Tokyo be shaped? This election will not only test the candidates' views, but also the judgment of every voter. Campaigning for the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election has officially kicked off. A record 295 people filed their candidacies for the 127 seats. Candidates will campaign for nine days until June 22, when voting and vote counting is held. Many Tokyo residents cite 'rising prices and wage increases' as points of contention in the election. In Tokyo, housing prices and rent are rising, placing a heavy burden on younger generations in particular. Many people are likely seeking an environment in which they can live without worries. According to national statistics released this month, Tokyo's total fertility rate — the average number of children born to each woman over her lifetime — stood at 0.96 last year, the lowest in the country. Increasing the number of children who will shape the future of the nation is a critical challenge. Preparing for disasters such as a major earthquake directly under the capital or heavy rainfall is also essential. It is important to carefully examine the policies presented by each candidate and determine who is most suitable. The Tokyo election is seen as a bellwether for the House of Councillors election this summer. The focus of the election will be on whether the Liberal Democratic Party, which currently holds 30 seats, can maintain its position as the largest party in the assembly. Whether the LDP, the Tokyo-based regional party Tomin First no Kai (Tokyoites first group) and Komeito — the three parties that support the Tokyo governor — will be able to maintain their joint majority will also be closely watched. The approval rating for the Cabinet of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba remains low, hovering just above 30%. A scandal regarding LDP factions' involvement in failing to report revenue from political fundraising parties on political funds reports has spread to the LDP assembly group in the Tokyo assembly. The results of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election are likely to affect the prime minister's ability to maintain party unity. In recent elections, false and unverified information circulated on social media, creating a situation in which elections could be influenced. The practice of candidates running solely to help another candidate win, known as 'two-horsepower' campaigning, has also become an issue. In last year's Tokyo gubernatorial election, posters unrelated to the candidates, such as advertisements for adult entertainment establishments, were posted on election poster boards, leading to a revision of the Public Offices Election Law to prohibit election posters that undermine dignity. This will be the first major election since the revised law came into effect. Acts that degrade elections, which are the foundation of democracy, cannot be tolerated. All candidates should keep this matter in mind. The Japan Newspaper Publishers & Editors Association issued a statement ahead of the Tokyo assembly election, expressing concern that inaccurate information could influence the election. Four member companies of the association, including The Yomiuri Shimbun, have formed a voluntary group to start fact-checking information found online, starting with the Tokyo assembly election. Urban areas have a large number of voters who have no party preference, and the 'wind' that determines election outcome can sometimes blow. In an era of information overload, voters must ascertain information to cast their ballots. (From The Yomiuri Shimbun, June 14, 2025)
Yomiuri Shimbun
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Japan's Upper House Election Date Likely July 20; CDPJ Inclined to Forgo No-confidence Motion
Yomiuri Shimbun file photo The Diet Building in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo The government and ruling parties have decided to hold the House of Councillors election on July 20, with official campaigning to begin on July 3, sources said. The plan will be approved by the Cabinet soon. The officials concluded that it will be unnecessary to extend the current Diet session, which is scheduled to end on June 22, even if the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan submits a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's Cabinet during session. The Public Offices Election Law stipulates that the upper house election must be held within a 24-to-30-day period after the Diet session ends. If the current Diet session ends on June 22, the voting day will be finalized for July 20, which is a Sunday in the middle of a three-day weekend. According to the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry, this will be the first time that a national election, excluding by-elections, will take place on the second day of a three-day weekend since 1952, when such record-keeping began. The CDPJ chief Yoshihiko Noda is believed to be inclined to forgo the submission of the no-confidence motion. Many within the government and the ruling parties believe that the largest opposition is unlikely to submit it. If the CDPJ does not submit the no-confidence motion, the Diet session is expected to end smoothly. If the motion is submitted, opposition parties might be able to pass it under the minority government. However, the ruling parties believe it is possible the motion would be unable to garner enough votes thanks to the Japan Innovation Party, with which the ruling parties continue to hold policy negotiations. Noda met CDPJ Secretary General Junya Ogawa and other party executives on Friday night to discuss how to deal with a no-confidence motion. They agreed to make a final decision after carefully looking at the progress of the Japan-U.S. tariff negotiations, according to sources.
Asahi Shimbun
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Asahi Shimbun
VOX POPULI: What's the point of election posters in a digital world?
Boards for posters of candidates running in the June 22 Tokyo metropolitan assembly election and Upper House election scheduled for July are set up in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward on June 4. (Asahi Shimbun file photo) While I was walking near a train station, a large rectangular board caught my eye. It was an official display panel set up to provide candidates in the upcoming Tokyo metropolitan assembly election with designated spaces for their campaign posters. The official campaign period for the election of the assembly's 127 members begins on June 13. According to the local election authority, the board is unusually large this time because it will also be used to accommodate posters for the Upper House election scheduled for July. As I stood before the still-blank white panel, I found myself reflecting on the role of campaign posters in today's digital age. There was a time when posters played a far more central role in elections. I recall that, more than on official boards, they were often plastered haphazardly on utility poles throughout the city. I remember how, more than 30 years ago, when I was a rookie reporter at a regional bureau far from Tokyo, local party branches and candidates' offices would fiercely compete to plaster their posters on every utility pole in sight. Of course, they rarely bothered to obtain permission from the pole administrators. With each election, local police issued hundreds of warnings for violations of the Public Offices Election Law. In some areas, local assemblies even passed resolutions banning posters from utility poles, arguing that they marred the urban landscape. According to 'Tokyo no Seiji' (Politics in Tokyo), edited by political scientist Michio Muramatsu, the 1965 Tokyo metropolitan assembly election was marked by fierce poster wars. Rival candidates tore down each other's posters, covered them with defamatory ones or put up fliers declaring, 'This method of posting violates the election law.' In the current Tokyo metropolitan assembly election, a recent revision to the election law requires candidates to ensure that their posters uphold a basic standard of civility and decency. The lack of decorum 60 years ago was troubling enough, but last year's gubernatorial race arguably set a new low. One political group fielded numerous candidates, only to sell or rent out their allotted poster slots to non-candidates for advertising and publicity stunts. In one case, a candidate used his space to display posters featuring a woman who was nearly nude. Though posters have lost much of their former significance, they surely deserve better than to draw attention for the wrong reasons. A fleeting glance at one on the street can unexpectedly awaken a sense of civic identity—I am a voter. That kind of message, delivered not through a smartphone but through the physical fabric of the city, has its own quiet value. —The Asahi Shimbun, June 13 * * * Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.
Yomiuri Shimbun
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Social Media and Elections: Efforts Are Needed to Discern Reliable Information
There are many issues to be addressed in terms of legal regulations, such as who will determine the veracity of the vast amount of information on social media. However, a situation must be avoided in which false information influences people's voting behavior. To that end, the ruling and opposition parties should accelerate efforts to put regulations in place. At the same time, voters will also be put to the test regarding their ability to discern accurate information by exposing themselves to diverse views without blindly accepting unverified posts on social media. The Liberal Democratic Party has compiled a draft proposal on measures against false information related to elections and presented it to other political parties. The proposal calls for amending the Public Offices Election Law and other relevant regulations in a bid to get the operators of social media platforms to voluntarily strengthen their efforts to reduce false information. However, the ruling and opposition parties have been deeply split on this matter, and discussions are expected to carry over to after this summer's House of Councillors election. The draft proposal calls on social media platform operators to delete incorrect posts and false information immediately at the request of political parties and candidates. It also urges operators to suspend advertising payments to social media posters who spread false information. The proposal wants platform operators to be exempted from liability to prevent them from hesitating to suspend ad payments out of fear that posters will seek damages. The mechanism in which advertising revenue is generated based on the number of views on social media is said to fuel the proliferation of extreme posts and false information. It seems that suspending advertising payments would be an effective measure to prevent the dissemination of such information. Many members of both ruling and opposition parties argue that regulating social media posts could infringe upon the freedom of expression guaranteed by the Constitution. There also seems to be a desire among them to make effective use of social media for their own election campaigns. However, the Constitution stipulates that rights such as freedom of expression shall be exercised 'for the public welfare.' It appears to be reasonable to regulate the dissemination of false information that distorts the fairness of elections. The Romanian constitutional court annulled the results of that nation's presidential election last year, ruling that false information on social media had influenced the outcome. Russia is believed to have manipulated information to help a pro-Russian candidate win. In a redo of the election last month, authorities required social media posts related to the election to be labeled as campaigning and ordered platform operators to delete posts that did not comply with this rule. In Europe, countries have increasingly implemented measures to counter false information. Meanwhile, four companies that are members of the Japan Newspaper Publishers and Editors Association, including The Yomiuri Shimbun, intend to begin fact-checking the accuracy of online information on their own initiative, starting with this month's Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election. If such efforts spread, that could help voters make judgments. (From The Yomiuri Shimbun, June 8, 2025)
