YOUTH APATHY
Merely lowering the voting age is not sufficient. It is imperative to foster active support among young voters and instil a sense of voluntary political participation.
Japan’s decision to lower the voting age was not inevitable, but a response to certain incentives – primarily tied to constitutional revision. The LDP’s conservative stance, coupled with scholarly observations of a conservative shift among young demographics, prompted the inclusion of a voting age reduction in a proposed national referendum law. Former prime minister Shinzo Abe recognised the potential influence a conservative youth vote could have on constitutional revision.
The motives behind lowering the voting age were not solely focused on enhancing youth political awareness. Rather, this was a tactical manoeuvre to advance the LDP’s longstanding ambition of amending Japan’s pacifist constitution, particularly Article 9.
Since implementing new voting-age regulations in 2015, Japan has witnessed five national elections. While youth apathy towards politics remains prevalent, younger generations tend to favour the LDP.
According to an exit poll conducted by NHK for the 2021 House of Representatives election, 43 per cent of 18- and 19-year-olds, and 41 per cent of people in their 20s, voted for the LDP in the proportional representation vote.
For voters in their 30s, 39 per cent voted LDP. For those in their 40s and 50s, it was 36 per cent, and for voters in their 60s, it was 34 per cent. Young people who prioritise stability over political change support the LDP.
In a democracy, public opinion entails popular pressure on government decisions. In the United States, for example, the 1971 constitutional amendment to reduce the voting age from 21 to 18 reflected public opinion. When the Vietnam War provoked the compelling slogan, “Old enough to fight, old enough to vote”, and the public rallied behind it, the government changed the voting age to 18. Yet there was no such impetus for Japan to reduce the voting age.
The legislative process of lowering the voting age also holds significant sway over the efficacy of such policies. While studies have focused on the aftermath of such reforms, the crucial role of process-oriented understanding has been overlooked.
