Japanese Political Candidates Go Dark Online

maximus1 writes "A 59-year-old election law prevents Japanese candidates from blogging and twittering during the campaigning window. So, on Tuesday, 1,370 Japanese will stop all online activity. Candidates get a brief slot on public television, usually in the early or late-night hours when few are watching, to make their pitch. The rest of the time is spent campaigning in neighborhoods, walking through the streets, and making speeches outside railway stations. If opinion polls are to be believed, the Aug. 30 election could be the law's last stand. Voter turnout among the young is poor, and some believe it's because the old-fashioned method of campaigning has failed to energize a population that is surrounded by digital media from the day they are born. 'The Internet must be made available for election campaigns as soon as possible,' the Asahi Shimbun, Japan's second-largest newspaper, wrote in a recent editorial."

Comments

can we get that here, please?

[petes_PoV]

What an excellent idea. Instead of saturating the media with insincere sound-bites from politicians who are judged more by their hair, makeup and height than their policies or competences, people actually get to meet the individuals they'll be voting for and are able to judge the person who wil represent them.

Maybe what we need is a news blackout on anything political as soon as an election is called. Make the candidates work for their election and getting comment from real people.. They'll still lie through their teeth, but they'll have to do it up-front and personal, to the voters - which is a much less forgiving environment.

Re:can we get that here, please?

[CRCulver]

Instead of saturating the media with insincere sound-bites from politicians who are judged more by their hair, makeup and height than their policies or competences, people actually get to meet the individuals they'll be voting for and are able to judge the person who wil [sic] represent them.

People will still have little to judge the politicians on than their personal appearance. It's not like the politicians actually have time to discuss serious policy when they do these neighbourhood walks. It's just smiles, handshakes and exhortations "Vote for me".

Re:can we get that here, please?

[Rogerborg]

So, basically you only want career politicians (or students or similar worthless types) to get into office?

In your scheme, how does someone who's currently working in an actual job find the time to knock on enough doors?

Re:can we get that here, please?

[Attila Dimedici]

What an excellent idea. Instead of saturating the media with insincere sound-bites from politicians who are judged more by their hair, makeup and height than their policies or competences, people actually get to meet the individuals they'll be voting for and are able to judge the person who wil represent them.

Maybe what we need is a news blackout on anything political as soon as an election is called. Make the candidates work for their election and getting comment from real people.. They'll still lie through their teeth, but they'll have to do it up-front and personal, to the voters - which is a much less forgiving environment.

Right, that way only incumbents will be able to easily get their names in front of people. Even better, then the politicians can pass all the laws that will make people howl during the news blackout. Man, you are a genius, the politicians would love a law like that.

Re:can we get that here, please?

[SydShamino]

The same problem happens all over the U.S. already, though, through policies enacted by the "enraged public":

  - In Texas, legislators are paid around $30k per year, but can't hold a regular job during lege years. I think you have to be self-employed, independently wealthy, or retired to run and hold office.
  - Across the country, term limits force someone who perhaps left their actual job to immediately start looking for another job. Of course, many companies won't want to hire a regular 8-to-5 grunt who just happened to have been a state senator first, because the person will just leave again. And that assumes the person, after two, four, or six years or longer in the government has the technical skills to return to their old profession.
  - Not to mention that campaigning today requires nearly full-time work from the candidates anyway, which again means they have to be self-employed in a business that mostly runs itself (i.e. law partner, insurance agent), or be independently wealthy, or already be a politician.

The summary is that the election system is designed to allow, for the most part, only certain types into office. Regular people who need a job to pay their bills can't and won't be able to run for and hold office.

Re:Real Reason for the Law

[Attila Dimedici]

This is definitely not true. The laws which regulate the election advertisements where largely introduced in the 1990s by the LDPs opposing parties.

From the summary, "A 59-year-old election law prevents Japanese candidates from blogging and twittering during the campaigning window." I checked the article actually says the same thing. Now according to the math I was taught 1990 was only 29 years ago, so I either the article got it wrong when the law was passed, or you are talking about something other than what the poster you responded to (and both the summary and the article) was.