JAPAN: CANDIDATE SHORTAGE FOR LOCAL ELECTIONS DUE TO DECLINING POPULATION

Sun 09 Apr 2023:

Japan’s population is drastically declining, and as a result, the country is in crisis. The government even issued a dire warning about the declining birth rate and announced plans to create an agency to address the problem.

The most recent article by Nikkei Asia expanded on the effects of population decline by mentioning that there aren’t enough candidates for the Saturday local elections taking place all over the nation.

Governors in nine prefectures, mayors in six major cities, and assembly members in 41 prefectures and 17 large cities will get selected by the voter through the poll.

The reports also mentioned some candidates were running uncontested in about 40 per cent of nearly 1,000 districts. About 25 per cent in total, 565 candidates, were running against no opponent in prefectural assemblies in the vote.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications also revealed that in 348 electoral districts, about 40% of the total candidates will be running.

On April 23, the voters will choose mayors and assembly members of Tokyo’s wards, smaller cities, towns and villages in the second round of elections.

A recent report noted that Japan recorded fewer than 800,000 births last year, the lowest in the country of 125 million since records began.

Several social factors are contributing to the low birth rate such as a high cost of living in the country, limited space and lack of childcare support in cities are also making it difficult to raise kids. And experts believe the declining birth rate is a complex problem with numerous roots.

A renewed focus on the issue has sparked countless articles. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida had warned the trend threatens “whether we can continue to function as a society.”

As quoted by Nikkei Asia, Hiroshi Shimada, a candidate in the race in the central Japanese city said in early March, said: “I could not let the mayoral election in Hamamatsu, a government-designated city, go uncontested.”

Matsui said, “In prefectural assemblies, the appeal of local politics is not communicated to the general public, making it difficult for young people to be attracted to become a candidate.”

Matsui said also noted that solutions are not easy to find, but argued that “reviewing corporate rules to make it easier to work concurrently as council members could be helpful”.

“Reducing the number of seats is also a natural way of thinking,” Matsui added.

Unmarried people under 30 don’t want kids

According to a recent survey, nearly half (49.4%) of Japanese single people under 30 are not interested in starting a family due to financial reasons. 400 participants between the ages of 18 and 29 participated in the survey, which was conducted by a pharmaceutical company.