Discussion for Regulation in Election Campaign

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the Constitutional Democratic Party, leading opposition, agreed on passing a bill for revising Public Offices Election Act (POEA) in the extraordinary session of the Diet this fall. Concerning unignorable examples deviated from original purpose in the Tokyo gubernatorial election earlier this month, both parties share necessity for excluding campaign posters or broadcasting which is not directly related to the election. This is a movement against campaigns trying to deride or destroy democracy.

In the Tokyo gubernatorial election, a party collected donations and sold its donors a right to stick any posters on the public poster boards for election, which were built in about fourteen thousand places. In the TV program for election campaign broadcast by NHK, some candidates made explicit performances, which did not seem to be related to the election or policy of Tokyo metropolitan government.

 

The Chairmen of Diet Affairs Council of the LDP and the CDP agreed on seeking revision of POEA in the next Diet session. “We, as the Liberal Democratic party, hope to establish measures not to repeat the problems for preventing distortion of the elections,” said Yasukazu Hamada, the chairman of LDP Diet Affairs Council. They will make effort to pass the bill beyond the party lines in next extraordinary session.

 

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, the LDP President, and the Head of Komeito, coalition partner of the LDP, Natsuo Yamaguchi reconfirmed their cooperation for the revision of POEA. Both parties agreed on discussing mainly about posters and broadcastings. Although they talked about obstruction against public campaign of other candidates, which was seen in the by-election of Tokyo 15th district of the House of Representatives held in April, both parties recognized that it would be regulated by existing provision of POEA.

 

The discussion beyond the party lines will be about prohibiting posters which would not be related to the election or for the purpose of earning profit. Demanding full name and portrait photograph on the poster is another talking point. Although there is a provision in POEA to prohibit disgraceful speech in public broadcasting for political opinion, the parties will discuss the reinforcement of it.

 

Fifteen-six candidates ran for Tokyo gubernatorial election, which made a new record. Some candidates revealed that they had no intention to be the governor of Tokyo. For them the election was an opportunity to let the public know about their name or business. A donor of a party attached posters of naked woman on the campaign boards, which purpose was not clear.

 

If they are regarded as emergence of frustration on current democracy of Japan, the parties need to sincerely offer a solution not to repeat the slush fund scandal, for viable measures to raise birth rate, or for narrowing social division between the riches and the poor.

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