Japan’s PM Under Fire Over Timing of Upcoming Election

(MENAFN) Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi confronts intensifying backlash over her decision to hold national elections during the country's critical university entrance examination period, with opposition leaders and education experts warning the February vote could suppress youth turnout and create chaos at testing sites.

The February 8 House of Representatives election marks Japan's first lower house ballot held during this month since 1990—a scheduling clash that places the vote squarely in the middle of the nation's high-stakes entrance exam season.

After dissolving the lower house abruptly in January, Takaichi has encouraged students to utilize early voting options. However, Toshiko Takeya, a prominent figure in the Komeito party, sharply rebuked the decision. Japanese media quoted Takeya as saying that the burden on examinees will be heavy, calling Takaichi's move "extremely unreasonable."

Yoshihiko Noda, co-leader of the newly established Centrist Reform Alliance, warned the timing could deprive young people eager to vote "for their own future" of the opportunity to cast ballots.

Educational officials have raised alarm about disruptive campaign noise near schools and examination venues. While Japan's public offices election law encourages candidates to minimize loud activities around educational facilities, the statute contains no enforcement mechanisms or penalties.

Kaori Suetomi, a professor of education administration at Nihon University, emphasized that voluntary restraint by only some candidates may not be enough to protect students during crucial examinations, said the overlap underscores the need to review legal rules on election timing and campaign practices.

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