Early voting for Japan's House of Representatives election begins
Early voting for next month's House of Representatives election began Wednesday at Japanese diplomatic missions across the world and designated locations in Japan, Kyodo reported.
Polling stations have been set up at 233 locations abroad, including embassies and consulates, for around 103,000 registered overseas voters, according to the Japanese government.
At the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, 28-year-old graduate student Naoya Maeda, who arrived just as voting began at 9:30 a.m., expressed hopes that politicians would listen to the average person, saying "Every time I make a trip back to Japan, I am hit by how expensive everything has become."
Voters in Japan can also cast their ballots in advance at designated locations if they are unable to do so on Feb. 8, election day. In the previous lower house election in 2024, approximately 20.95 million people voted early.
However, with the period between dissolution of the lower chamber and voting the shortest interval in the postwar era, and heavy snowfall affecting some areas, there are concerns voter turnout could decline this election as some municipalities have been unable to deliver polling station tickets in time.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications is urging electoral committees nationwide to widely publicize the fact that people can still vote without a ticket as long as their identity can be confirmed at the polling station.
On January 23, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi dissolved the House of Representatives, setting a snap general election for February 8.
