Japan's Snap Election: Early Voting Begins Amid Voter Turnout Concerns

Polling stations have been set up at 233 places in other countries, including embassies and consulates, for around 103,000 registered overseas voters, according to the Japanese government, Japan's Kyodo News reported. People in Japan can also vote in advance at designated places if they cannot do so on February 8

At the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, a graduate student Naoya Maeda, expressed hope that politicians would listen to the common people. He said, "Every time I make a trip back to Japan, I am hit by how expensive everything has become." Maeda stated that being a foreigner in South Korea had increased his interest in related policies and he could not back parties whose viewpoint seemed exclusionary.

Seiji Funamoto, a 74-year-old man living in Sydney, said that policies regarding foreigners like regulations on land acquisition were important for him. While voting at the consulate, he said, "I want Japan to respond firmly without backing down, even when pressured by other countries, including China."

Approximately 20.95 million people voted early during the lower house election in 2024. However, there are concerns that voter turnout could decline this election as the period between dissolution of the lower chamber and voting is the shortest interval in the post-war era and heavy snowfall have impacted some areas, resulting in some municipalities being unable to deliver polling station tickets in time.

On January 23, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi dissolved House of Representatives for a snap election set to be held on February 8. Takaichi's cabinet gave approval to the plan of dissolving the 465-member chamber, Kyodo News reported. Notably, prime ministers in Japan can dissolve the lower house; however, it is the first time that a lower house is dissolved at the start of a regular session in six decades.

Takaichi has stressed that she has decided to hold the elections as she has not yet received the support of the people for her premiership, which began in October last year. The ruling coalition has proposed suspending the consumption tax on food, while the opposition alliance has offered to scrap it on all such products. The election debates will also include issues like politics, money, which gained attention after the slush fund scandal that hit the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in recent years and matters linked to foreign residents and tourists.

Notably, Takaichi's cabinet has a high support rating. However, the ruling coalition has a razor-thin majority in the lower chamber and is a minority in the House of Councillors, implying that it needs support from lawmakers of opposition parties to pass the bill. Opposition parties have criticised Sanae Takaichi for calling an election before the parliament enacts an initial budget for fiscal 2026, starting April, accusing her of prioritising political considerations.

- IANS