WP on mobilizing Japan's youth politically

thomas · 22 Nov 2021

Japan is notorious for its low voter participation. This is especially true for the younger strata of the electorate. The WP looked at several platforms (No Youth No Japan, Minna no Mirai 2021, Go Vote Japan) that try to raise young voters' interest in politics.

[...] in a country with a stubbornly low turnout rate among younger voters, political activists in Japan face unique hurdles. Simply talking about politics and voting defies cultural norms for young Japanese. The reasons are varied. Some cited an age gap with Japan's overwhelmingly older political leadership. Others cite laws that have banned student-led political organizing. The result, analysts say, is an atmosphere where young people often feel as if they don't have a say in the country's future. [...] In Japan, asking people about their politics is still considered a social faux pas. Such sentiments have carried over into talking about any sort of election activity — even whether to vote. [...] "From the 1970s, there has been a general image in Japan that being interested in politics is uncool. But with the various campaigns organized by young activists this time, I think this image has been completely changed."

I find this extremely puzzling:

Lowering the voting age to 18 allowed more students to discuss politics. But political campaigning by minors, including on social media, is still illegal. Minors cannot share partisan information on social media or retweet voting information shared by political accounts.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/japan-politics-youth-election/2021/11/16/0ed349dc-3c00-11ec-bd6f-da376f47304e_story.html

It is also interesting to note that all three platforms (see above and the links below) were launched by young women.

Links: