Japan¡¯s voters went to the ballot stations Sunday for their first general election in four years. In the end, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party secured a comfortable majority of the 465-member Lower House, albeit with a pruning of in its pre-election tally of 276 seats.
When it comes to elections, a major talking point has been Japan¡¯s younger generation, who are largely seen as being apathetic toward politics despite the voting age being lowered from 20 to 18 five years ago.
The first time 18-year-olds were given the opportunity to have their say was in 2017¡¯s general election, when the overall voter turnout was 53.68%, the second-lowest in postwar Japan. Only 33.85% of those in their 20s voted on that occasion, less than half of the 72.04% recorded among those in their 60s.
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