Police presence at polling places

The Yomiuri Shimbun

19:04 JST, July 10, 2022

Uniformed police presence was felt Sunday at a polling place in Fukuoka.

Voters casting their ballots at the Akasaka elementary school gymnasium could see the heightened police vigilance in the wake of the shooting death of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Friday.

The Fukuoka Election Administration Commission said it usually asks the prefectural police to maintain order at polling stations at every election, but requested the police to enhance the security this time.

“In a complex society, it’s not enough just to accomplish a single policy,” said a 71-year-old man after voting.

A 62-year-old female nurse said, “I voted with a focus on the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and high prices on daily life, as well as for a society where everyone can live equally and happily.”

In Tokyo at a polling place in Chuo Ward, voters were seen filling out ballots with their own pencils, as they were asked to bring them to prevent infection with the novel coronavirus.