Elections

Japan’s Ruling Bloc Agrees on Regulations Calling for Decency on Campaign Posters; Current Rules Only Cover Campaign Broadcasts, Election Publications

Yomiuri Shimbun file photo
Posters with an image of a dog are displayed on an official campaign billboard ahead of the Tokyo gubernatorial election, in Shibuya Ward, Tokyo, in June.

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:27 JST, August 24, 2024

The ruling parties have agreed to introduce a regulation requiring decency regarding campaign posters as many posters unrelated to candidates appeared on campaign billboards for the Tokyo gubernatorial election in July.

The Liberal Democratic Party and its junior coalition partner Komeito held working-level talks to study revisions to the Public Offices Election Law on Friday in response to the gubernatorial election poster issue.

The two parties agreed on introducing a provision for decency regarding campaign posters as well as penalties on those who put up posters for commercial purposes on official campaign billboards.

They intend to begin discussions with opposition parties in early September at the latest as part of efforts to reach a consensus as soon as possible and submit a draft revision to an extraordinary Diet session in autumn.

Posters that were unrelated to the election, such as one with a photo of a nearly naked woman, and the buying and selling of billboard space became an issue during the Tokyo gubernatorial election campaign.

Under the current law, there are only provisions calling for maintaining dignity regarding campaign broadcasts and official election publications.

The LDP and Komeito aim to establish a similar provision regarding campaign posters, and to also impose a fine on those involved in displaying posters for the purposes of making a profit. Some LDP members have proposed a fine of ¥1 million or less.

They also agreed to make it mandatory to print candidates’ names on the posters, since the Tokyo gubernatorial election was marked by posters that were unrelated to the election.

However, the parties decided not to make it mandatory for an image of the candidate’s face to be printed on the poster due to opinions surrounding the issue of freedom of expression.

Regarding measures to deal with undignified language and behavior in campaign broadcasts, the ruling bloc concluded that such issues could be dealt with under the current rules.