Japan’s ruling party is hoping Olympic medallist Ryoko Tani will strike gold at the polls in a July 11 election, but fame alone may not be enough for her and other celebrity candidates trying to woo independent voters.
“If they think voters will cast ballots because of how famous candidates are, that would be very insulting,” said Naomi Saito, a 31-year-old employee at a music company. “[Celebrity candidates] often say they will start learning about policies as they run for office, but that’s too late ... And I don’t think sports has anything to do with politics.”
Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan, who has made fiscal reform a top priority since taking over from the unpopular Yukio Hatoyama early last month, has called for debate on a sales tax hike, bringing the politically touchy topic into the limelight ahead of the poll.
PHOTO: EPA
The ruling Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) looks likely to fall short of an outright majority in the upper house election and may have to find new allies to control the chamber. However, it will almost certainly stay in power regardless of the outcome of the vote by virtue of its huge majority in the more powerful lower house.
Celebrity candidates have long been a feature of Japan’s upper house elections, partly because the large size of constituencies makes high name recognition a big plus.
However, with more voters shunning affiliation to any parties, their ranks have swollen this year.
A Nikkei business daily survey said 17 celebrities were running, up from 11 in the last upper house poll in 2004.
The DPJ have tapped celebrities such as two-time Olympic judo champion Tani and traditional comic storyteller Kinshi Katsura, while their main rival is fielding former Yomiuri Giants baseball team manager Tsuneo Horiuchi and actress Junko Mihara, among others.
A recent survey by Sankei newspaper, though, showed more than 85 percent of voters didn’t expect much from the all-star lineup.
“Japanese media have been focusing more on parties’ policy proposals and voters may be less inclined to cast their ballots just because candidates are celebrities,” said Noritada Matsuda, an associate professor at University of Kitakyushu. “They seem to be more keen to vote on policy now.”
In the upper house poll, more than one-third of the chamber’s seats are from a nationwide proportional representation bloc in which voters choose either a candidate or a party.
Votes for specific candidates are added to those for their political parties, so parties tend to field more celebrity candidates in the upper house contest to attract swing voters.
However, what was once a reliable tactic now risks backfiring.
As Tani walked around Tokyo streets last month, some voters praised her for successfully balancing sports with being a mother of two, but others were put off by what they see as another example of a campaign without a clear point.
“My main concern is the sales tax hike. Ms Tani didn’t say anything on that,” 26-year-old businesswoman Miwa Higuchi said.
Tani came under fire after saying she will still seek to win a gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics even if she gets elected, suggesting that politics could be a part-time job.
“Competing in the Olympics is totally different from thinking about how to make a change in society,” 60-year-old housewife Kaoru Yoshioka said. “Being a lawmaker is not something you can do by simply appearing on a stage.”
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