So, today was the election day for the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly and I went to vote.
And as I expected, it seems that the same old event by the New Komei Party supporters for this election happened again. I got a call from my mother and friend bitching about annyoing cold calls from the believers of the biggest Buddhism group in Japan, Souka-gakkai, which is firmly connected to the political party.
I used to get this till I moved out when my ex-boyfriend's mother was a member of them.
For example, the day before an election day, 2 strangers rang the interphone of my family's place, who were actually the believers sent by his mother. Come to think, I had unthinkingly given her my address as she insisted to have it because she wanted to send us a gift.
Later, on another election day, I was at his place with him and the door bell rang (as usual).
They asked us for dinner saying it would be their treat on one condition: our votes.
Now the opposition parties have won the majority of the seats, but the alliance of LDP and New Komei Party, still continue to share over 60 seats together, via these methods.
So my question here is, do you have such "election tactics" in your country?
Is this kind of thing acceptable over there?
And as I expected, it seems that the same old event by the New Komei Party supporters for this election happened again. I got a call from my mother and friend bitching about annyoing cold calls from the believers of the biggest Buddhism group in Japan, Souka-gakkai, which is firmly connected to the political party.
I used to get this till I moved out when my ex-boyfriend's mother was a member of them.
For example, the day before an election day, 2 strangers rang the interphone of my family's place, who were actually the believers sent by his mother. Come to think, I had unthinkingly given her my address as she insisted to have it because she wanted to send us a gift.
Later, on another election day, I was at his place with him and the door bell rang (as usual).
They asked us for dinner saying it would be their treat on one condition: our votes.
Now the opposition parties have won the majority of the seats, but the alliance of LDP and New Komei Party, still continue to share over 60 seats together, via these methods.
So my question here is, do you have such "election tactics" in your country?
Is this kind of thing acceptable over there?
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コメント(6)
Thank you for your reply but I'd like to know some more.
As for the phone calls, are those from official staff of the party or your neighbors or relatives to talk you into a particular candidate?
Being Japanese, I still don't quite get this practice of Japanese election taking place so openly.
I've always wondered if there is any case that a political party ties to a particular religious group that strongly and if it is common overseas too.
In terms of giving out free stuff, I think it is OK to hand out free stickers etc. for advertisement purposes for the campaign, but it doesn't seem so right to entice or bribe young students with free meals in order to get votes.
I think this country is pretty politically corrupt.
As for the phone calls, are those from official staff of the party or your neighbors or relatives to talk you into a particular candidate?
Being Japanese, I still don't quite get this practice of Japanese election taking place so openly.
I've always wondered if there is any case that a political party ties to a particular religious group that strongly and if it is common overseas too.
In terms of giving out free stuff, I think it is OK to hand out free stickers etc. for advertisement purposes for the campaign, but it doesn't seem so right to entice or bribe young students with free meals in order to get votes.
I think this country is pretty politically corrupt.
I think in every country, political parties get as corrupt as the people allow them to get. Certainly in the US we get shifty stuff every four years. At the simple end, you have people from one party calling up likely voters for the other and "reminding" them that the election is on the wrong day, or old standbys like taking homeless people out to vote in exchange for lunch, and sending in absentee votes for people who are dead or fictional, etc.
The more worrying stuff is more subtle, like employers, unions, and churches improperly using their influence to sway voters. Basically, all this stuff, and worse, flourishes wherever people don't pay much attention. If you don't have any reason to think your system isn't corrupt, it's probably very corrupt.
The more worrying stuff is more subtle, like employers, unions, and churches improperly using their influence to sway voters. Basically, all this stuff, and worse, flourishes wherever people don't pay much attention. If you don't have any reason to think your system isn't corrupt, it's probably very corrupt.
(Australia)
For a while if you lived in a marginal seat you got these
really annoying recorded messages from John Howard.
If you hung up, it would ring again.
At the last election some members of the Liberal party
did a letter box drop with a fake pamphlet from an extremist
Islamic group saying the group supported the Labor Party.
I think one of the people involved (the husband of the Liberal
member) received a prison sentence for that, but I'm not
sure.
For a while if you lived in a marginal seat you got these
really annoying recorded messages from John Howard.
If you hung up, it would ring again.
At the last election some members of the Liberal party
did a letter box drop with a fake pamphlet from an extremist
Islamic group saying the group supported the Labor Party.
I think one of the people involved (the husband of the Liberal
member) received a prison sentence for that, but I'm not
sure.
>fenomas
>like taking homeless people out to vote in exchange for lunch, and sending in absentee votes for people who are dead or fictional
I see it's somewhat similar events happening over there, some situations sound even worse...?
It's hard to believe that they would lie about the election day or use dead or fictional people to vote multiple times... I wonder if they have any way to check it or any law to prevent it.
>employers, unions, and churches improperly using their influence to sway voters.
It happens in Japan in a subtle way too.
As you know, this organized system of voting has allowed the LDP to remain in power for such a long time though it has been weakened these days. You can see it's starting to crack based on the recent LDP's lack of public support. However as a side-effect, it has also emphasized the organized votes for the New Komei Party where the believers just follow what their leaders say no matter what their agenda is.
>all this stuff, and worse, flourishes wherever people don't pay much attention. If you don't have any reason to think your system isn't corrupt, it's probably very corrupt.
VERY true. and sounds pretty appropriate for Japan.
I sometimes wonder if they willingly remain sheep with their own wool over their eyes.
>Ian
Waow... THAT's over the top!!
I hope they ALL get prison sentences!
>ユギ
Yes, my husband told me that it would be highly illegal to try to bribe or coerce someone's vote in Canada.
He said that when it IS done, it would be very subtle almost transparent. ;)
>like taking homeless people out to vote in exchange for lunch, and sending in absentee votes for people who are dead or fictional
I see it's somewhat similar events happening over there, some situations sound even worse...?
It's hard to believe that they would lie about the election day or use dead or fictional people to vote multiple times... I wonder if they have any way to check it or any law to prevent it.
>employers, unions, and churches improperly using their influence to sway voters.
It happens in Japan in a subtle way too.
As you know, this organized system of voting has allowed the LDP to remain in power for such a long time though it has been weakened these days. You can see it's starting to crack based on the recent LDP's lack of public support. However as a side-effect, it has also emphasized the organized votes for the New Komei Party where the believers just follow what their leaders say no matter what their agenda is.
>all this stuff, and worse, flourishes wherever people don't pay much attention. If you don't have any reason to think your system isn't corrupt, it's probably very corrupt.
VERY true. and sounds pretty appropriate for Japan.
I sometimes wonder if they willingly remain sheep with their own wool over their eyes.
>Ian
Waow... THAT's over the top!!
I hope they ALL get prison sentences!
>ユギ
Yes, my husband told me that it would be highly illegal to try to bribe or coerce someone's vote in Canada.
He said that when it IS done, it would be very subtle almost transparent. ;)
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