CIVICUS discusses Japan’s upcoming election for its upper chamber of parliament with Aoi Horiuchi, Senior Advocacy Officer at the Japan NGO Center for International Cooperation (JANIC), a network of civil society organisations (CSOs) working to address global issues.
Scheduled to take place in July, the election for the House of Councillors, the parliamentary chamber responsible for reviewing legislation, comes amid declining voter turnout, rising political disengagement, particularly among young people, and growing concerns over media concentration and proposed constitutional changes. While the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) continues to dominate, public scrutiny on issues of citizen participation, electoral fairness and transparency is intensifying. Despite facing constraints, civil society groups are increasing their efforts to promote voter education and democratic accountability.
