Japan Press Weekly

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2012 November 28 - December 4 [ELECTION]

Free election campaigns are essential for democratic society

‘Morning breeze’ column

Campaigning for the House of Representatives general election will soon kick off. Election campaigns should provide opportunities for candidates and political parties to approach voters more freely than usual. Japan’s restricted election rules, however, hinder such a democratic approach.

The main concern regarding restrictions on election campaigns is the ban on door-to-door canvassing. The ban was introduced in 1925 when all eligible males were granted the right to vote under the Japanese prewar constitution. At that time, together with the Public Order Maintenance Law, this rule was used as a tool to suppress people’s movements.

Even under the current democratic constitution, the ban is maintained for the reason of preventing vote-buying and people’s annoyance to canvassing visits by election campaigners. This, however, seems to be unreasonable because vote-buying, for example, can be avoided with stricter regulations.

In the 19th century in Britain, regulations on its election system were tightened in order to curb political corruption. However, home visits for election campaigns were allowed. The reason for this is probably that face-to-face talk was considered as an important tool in Britain to deepen voters’ understanding regarding the policies of each candidate and political party.

Free election campaigns are essential for a democratic society. Face-to-face election campaigns match the spirit of the Japanese Constitution which places emphasis on respect for individual rights. Too-strict election rules go hand in hand with the move to cut the number of Diet seats aimed at making it difficult for the public to gain access to the Diet.