On July 7, 2024, there will be an election to decide the governor of Tokyo. Tokyo is home to 10% of Japan’s population, so the Tokyo gubernatorial election is a rich topic of discussion. This time, 56 candidates are running for the office, the largest number in history. The excitement of the Tokyo gubernatorial election is as large as that of a national election. 56 is a great number, but we have considered some of the reasons for the large number of candidates in the Tokyo gubernatorial election. Several factors may be behind the increase in the number of candidates in the Tokyo gubernatorial election.
Why are there so many candidates for the Tokyo gubernatorial election?
・The high profile of the major media provides an opportunity to increase name recognition.
・Tokyo has a large number of floating voters, so even unknown candidates have a chance to win the election.
・The Tokyo gubernatorial election attracts nationwide attention and often becomes a festival-like election.
High profile in the mainstream media provides opportunities for name recognition
The reason why name recognition is important in the Tokyo gubernatorial election is that the nature of the election means that voters often select candidates based on limited information. When there are many candidates, it is difficult to know the policies and backgrounds of all of them in detail, and candidates with high name recognition tend to have an advantage. In past gubernatorial elections, many TV and radio personalities and well-known politicians have run and won. High name recognition is important because it makes it easier to attract the attention of voters during the election campaign, and town this can be expected to have the effect of increasing voter turnout.
Tokyo has a tendency to welcome candidates from different industries because of the large number of floating voters and the chance for even unknown candidates to win the election.
In the Tokyo gubernatorial election, many candidates from different industries other than politics run for the office. (Floating votes are votes cast by people who change their party or candidate, or abstain from voting, depending on their mood or the situation at the time of the election. (A floating vote is a vote cast by people who change their party or candidate, or abstain from voting, depending on their mood or the situation at the time of the election.) The governor’s duties are diverse and require a wide range of expertise and experience. Candidates from different industries are often welcomed to run for the office, as they need to be well versed in a wide range of fields, such as economics, welfare, and environmental policy. Candidates from different industries can be attractive to voters because they can bring new perspectives and ideas from outside politics. Therefore, even if they are unknown, they have a chance.
The Tokyo gubernatorial election attracts national attention and often becomes a festive election
One of the factors that make the Tokyo gubernatorial election unique and theatrical is the influence of the media. This theatrical election is a populist political method that appeals to the masses for support through the mass media by issuing simple and clear catchphrases. The media makes it even easier for the candidate to express his or her point of view, as he or she creates a structure in which the opposing forces are portrayed as villains and he or she fights on the side of the common people to attract the public’s attention. The Tokyo gubernatorial election is an election that attracts nationwide attention and is covered extensively by TV, newspapers, and the Internet media. This makes it easier for candidates to promote their claims through the media, which is often staged in a theatrical manner.
The recent proliferation of social networking services and video streaming services has also contributed to theatrical elections. The Tokyo gubernatorial election is this week. Much attention is focused on whether incumbent Governor Yuriko Koike will be reelected or whether a new governor will be elected.
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