Animal and Nude Photos with 'Dokdo is Japanese Territory'... Tokyo Election Pamphlets in Chaos

Tokyo Governor Election Poster Controversy
Party Exploits Election Law to Post Posters
24 Desired Photos Posted... Law Revision Discussed

The Tokyo gubernatorial election in Japan is facing unexpected trouble due to posters. Exploiting the loophole of not regulating election posters, images of dogs, cats, and even nude photos of women have been posted all over the city. Controversy has even arisen over posters stating "Takeshima (the name Japan uses for Dokdo) is Japanese territory." On the 25th, Japan's Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported, "Ahead of the gubernatorial election scheduled for the 7th of next month, the Tokyo Metropolitan Election Commission has been receiving numerous complaints about posters unrelated to any candidates."

Election poster for the Tokyo Governor at Kasai Rinkai Park in Japan.
[Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

Japan's Public Offices Election Law regulates election posters only if they support or slander other candidates or contain false information. Posters do not need to have the candidate's face, nor do they have to be rectangular in shape. Exploiting this loophole, the Japanese minor party "The Party to Protect the People from NHK (NHK Party)" has recently launched a campaign called "Let's take over the election bulletin boards." Donors can post 24 photos of their choice on one of the 14,000 election bulletin boards installed throughout the city. The NHK Party is supporting 24 candidates in this election.

The NHK Party's campaign has produced unexpected reactions. Donations collected through this method have reached about 6.5 million yen (approximately 56.6 million won). Donors have posted photos of puppies, cats, and other animals all over the city, and on one bulletin board in Nakano Ward, 24 posters featuring a woman's face on a pink background were posted. These posters also included QR codes directing viewers to paid websites.

Posters stating "Dokdo is Japanese territory" plastered on the election bulletin board in Korea Town, Shin-Okubo, Tokyo [Image source=Yonhap News]

There were also posters targeting South Korea and North Korea. On election bulletin boards in Shinjuku Korea Town and in front of Korean schools, posters with the Rising Sun Flag and the phrase "Takeshima is Japanese territory" as well as posters saying "Return the abductees" were posted. The posters' posters proudly posted on social media, saying, "I put up posters on the bulletin board in front of the Korean school, and the response has been tremendous."

As the loophole in the election law became known, some people created election posters featuring their own nude photos or even advertisements for entertainment establishments. In response, the Japanese National Police Agency issued warnings to the candidates involved for violating the Anti-Prostitution Law. Motegi Toshimitsu, secretary-general of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, held a press conference that day and said, "Problems with the Public Offices Election Law that we had not considered until now have arisen," adding, "We will consider countermeasures, including revising the law."