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On the afternoon of April 12, at the plenary session of the House of Representatives, House members voted on a proposal to partially amend the Public Offices Election Act to lift the ban on election campaigning via the Internet . A revised proposal of the one submitted by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Japan Restoration Party (JRP), and New Komeito was passed unanimously. A supplementary provision was added stating that “appropriate measures” will be taken from the next House of Councillors’ national election for the complete lifting of the ban in light of the assertions made in the proposal submitted by the DPJ and Your Party.
Before voting, on behalf of the DPJ-Independent Club, House of Representatives member Yoshiyuki Terashima discussed the proposal based on his support for the DPJ-Your Party proposal.
Terashima emphasized the significance of the vote, stating, “With the revision of the Public Offices Election Act, the Internet – one of the social foundations indispensable to our lives – can finally be utilized for elections, the basis of democracy. I am convinced that through the variety of communication tools available on the Internet, the two-way exchanges between ordinary voters and candidates/political parties will foster a new political culture.” He remarked that the fact that a concrete vision for ideal elections had been laid out through consultations with the participation of all parties showed major progress.
In this context, Terashima explained that the DPJ-Your Party proposal stated that the ban lift should not be limited to candidates and political parties but also include the sovereigns of Japan, i.e., the general public. With respect to the means, he explained that the DPJ-Your Party proposal decided to allow all people, including ordinary voters, to engage in election campaigning using E-mail, according to the view that maximum assurances should be made for the free political participation of our sovereigns, the people. Regarding the LDP-JRP-New Komeito proposal which limits the lifting of the ban on election campaigning via E-mail to parties and candidates, Terashima stressed that the freedom of the voters should be given priority over the freedom of those being elected. This is because elections are a system designed for the people, Japan's sovereigns, to elect Diet members who will represent them.
At the same time, Terashima stated that even after consultations within each party and the presentation of the LDP-JRP-New Komeito proposal, efforts were made to persuade and negotiate for the integration of the proposals with the hope of achieving the swift realization of the end to the ban on election campaigning via the Internet. He noted that such efforts did not lead to an agreement, but conceded, “In view of the composition of the current House of Representatives, if our proposal is not accepted by everyone, as the second best measure, we have room to consider supporting a revised proposal of the one jointly made by LDP, JRP, and New Komeito, with a provision added stating that appropriate measures will be taken two national elections from now to lift the ban on election campaigning carried out by general voters using E-mail.”
Terashima concluded, “I strongly hope that a new political culture will be fostered in which ordinary voters are the main actors in elections and in which everyone takes part in discussions.”
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