- 27 Nov 2012
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I don't expect it to happen, but yeah, for the amount of taxes I pay year after year, I'd love to be able to vote.
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Interesting. What makes you think so, Thomas? LDP seems like the lesser of evils on the current political stage. At least they are bold enough to take unpopular yet farsighted decisions (think about unavoidable consumption tax raise or restarting nuclear plants despite the protests) Whenever i hear other parties agenda - they just sound overtly populistic to me.I imagine that most foreign residents holding PR would never in their lives vote for the LDP
Ah...americans and the good old slogan No taxation without representation always gives me the feeling that US citizens in Japan are acting like colonists and see Japan as a new colony. A lot of citizens coming from countries where foreign permanent residents are NOT allowed to vote often want to vote in Japan. Green card holders can't vote, right? Even if they earn a lot as actors for example.I don't expect it to happen, but yeah, for the amount of taxes I pay year after year, I'd love to be able to vote.
Shinzo Abe also believed in no taxation without representation. Or said he does.Ah...americans and the good old slogan No taxation without representation always gives me the feeling that US citizens in Japan are acting like colonists and see Japan as a new colony. A lot of citizens coming from countries where foreign permanent residents are NOT allowed to vote often want to vote in Japan. Green card holders can't vote, right? Even if they earn a lot as actors for example.
How many times did I heard about Americans of Brits wanting to vote here and knowing perfectly well that Japanese who lived in the US or UK for decades are not allowed to vote there. With the exception of South Korea which country among those that have lot of their citizens in Japan are allowing foreign residents to vote:
- China: Nooooooo... (letting Chinese vote in Japan sounds like a joke)
- Philippines: No
- North Korea: No
- Thailand: No
- Indonesia: No
- Malaysia: No
- Taiwan: No
- Brazil: No (Only Portuguese citizens are allowed to vote)
- USA: Nooooooooooooooooo
- Australia: No
- UK: No
- France: No
If voting rights is based on reciprocity, most of you are S.O.L and I can hardly imagine Japanese letting Chinese citizens meddling in Japanese elections.
Individuals without Japanese citizenship are not permitted to vote in elections, but local governments have the power to introduce ordinances allowing them a say in referendums. But responses from the survey on forms of local participation for foreign residents showed that 56 per cent of assembly leaders polled feel that they "could not say either way," and another 24 per cent stated they "do not think it should be pursued further." Amid sustained falls in the native population and rising foreign resident numbers, the central government has revised its policies for a multicultural society to include measures to actively encourage community participation by foreign residents. However, while Japan had a record 2.96 million foreign residents according to Justice Ministry figures for the end of June 2022, their number still only accounts for about 2 per cent of the total population. Assembly chiefs who expressed reservations offered reasons including that many foreign nationals living in Japan are technical intern trainees or holders of other residence categories which means they are likely to stay for a limited period before ultimately returning home.
"Could we vote to stop talking about this? All this thinking about foreign residents is making me uncomfortable."A recent Kyodo survey showed that only 16% of prefectural and municipal assembly leaders in Japan believe there should be further debate on whether to grant foreign residents the vote in local referendums, results of a Kyodo News survey showed Thursday, with many citing a need for care in approaching the issue.
Note that this is only about the need to debate the issue further ...
And about local referendums, not municipal elections...
Just 16% of Japan assembly heads open to foreigner referendum voting
Just 16 percent of prefectural and municipal assembly leaders in Japan believe there should be further debate on whether to grant foreign residents the vote in local referendums, results of a Kyodo News survey show, with many citing a need for care in approaching the issue.english.kyodonews.net