Election campaign tests Tokyo’s patience as publicity stunts outweigh serious campaign

A new governor will be elected in Tokyo this weekend, but residents say personal publicity stunts have overshadowed the serious campaigning to an extent never seen before, including nearly naked women in suggestive poses, animals, an artificial intelligence character and a man practicing his golf swing.

It’s impossible to ignore. Because online campaigning is still relatively new, candidates have traditionally used designated campaign billboards—more than 14,000 of them—to promote themselves. The improvised billboards are put up only during the short campaign season and provide valuable exposure in a city already saturated with ads.

But this year’s oddities — especially from noncandidates renting billboard space — are proving to be extraordinary, with residents flooding election offices with angry calls and messages.

“They are distasteful. As a Japanese citizen, I feel embarrassed when I see many foreign visitors walking past these billboards and wondering what is going on,” said Mayumi Noda, an office worker. “As a voter, I find it outrageous and rude to other candidates who are seriously competing.”

A record 56 candidates, including incumbent Gov. Yuriko Koike, who is seeking a third four-year term, are running in Sunday’s election. Many of the candidates are marginal figures or influential figures seeking to gain even greater visibility.

Tokyo, a city of 13.5 million, wields enormous political and cultural power in Japan. Its budget is as big as some nations’, and its policies influence the national government.

Hours after the official campaign kicked off on June 20, residents were faced with a staggering array of posters, some of which were unclear whether the person behind them was a candidate or simply seeking publicity.

One billboard displayed racy posters for an adult entertainment store. Another featured a nearly naked model in a suggestive pose with the words “Stop Restricting Free Speech.” Others featured photos of a dog or a female kickboxer. One candidate, called AI Mayor, used an image of a metal humanoid.

Campaign videos have also drawn criticism. In one, candidate Airi Uchino says, “I’m so cute; please watch my campaign broadcast,” and repeats her name in a high-pitched, anime-style voice, asking voters to add her as a friend on social media. She then strips down to a beige tank top.

In another video, a male candidate representing what he calls the “golf party” talks about his views while occasionally practicing his golf swing.

Under the 1950 Public Office Election Law, candidates in Japan can speak freely on any topic as long as they do not endorse another candidate and do not contain clearly false or defamatory content.

This year’s escalation is partly due to an emerging conservative political party that has fielded 24 candidates for governor. Since each of Tokyo’s campaign billboards has 48 squares on which candidates can stick their posters, the party rents out half of the spots to anyone who pays, including non-candidates.

This kind of unexpected approach is not regulated.

Rental costs start at 25,000 yen (about $155) per space per day, party leader Takashi Tachibana said.

“We have to be crazy or we won’t get media attention,” Tachibana said in a YouTube comment posted on the party’s website.

“The idea is to do immoral and outrageous things… to get attention,” said Ryosuke Nishida, a professor at Nihon University and an expert on politics and media. “The reason some people find these performances funny is that they feel their objections are not being taken into account by politicians and existing parties, nor are they being reflected in their policies.”

In a park near Tokyo’s busy Shimbashi train station, passers-by glanced at an election billboard, half of which was taken up by posters of dogs.

“I don’t decide who to vote for based on the faces on the posters,” said Kunihiko Imada, a plumber. “But I still think these billboards are being misused.”