※Translated with Notion AI. (Plus version)
I moved to Japan and experienced a major political election for the first time.
I was surprised to see 56 candidates in just one Tokyo gubernatorial election.
It appears that many candidates are running for self-promotion or to make money online since it’s easy to recover the high deposit of 3 million yen.
In the United States, running for governor is very accessible, and the deposit is also affordable.
Depending on the state, you can run for a few thousand dollars.
For example, in California, it costs $3,500 (about 560,000 yen), and in Texas, it costs $3,750 (about 600,000 yen).
Additionally, many states have a system where you can be exempt from paying the deposit by collecting signatures (7,000 in California, 5,000 in Texas).
These systems significantly reduce the financial burden, making participation in politics very accessible.
Despite this, there are typically only a little over 10 candidates in gubernatorial elections.
The 56 candidates in the Tokyo gubernatorial election seem unusual.
Our company’s advisory lawyer noted that these patchwork laws result from bureaucrats not being evaluated for reforms.
Before shouting “Change Japanese politics,” shouldn’t changing the election method be a priority?
As an American, I would like to share my ideas for changing Japanese elections.
