Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a daily column that runs on Page 1 of The Asahi Shimbun.
May 27, 2022 at 12:43 JST
Plaintiff Kazuhiro Soda, a filmmaker, welcomes a Supreme Court decision on the review of its justices by Japanese expatriates in Tokyo on May 25. (The Asahi Shimbun)
Noritoshi Kanai long campaigned to allow Japanese expatriates around the world to cast ballots in elections from their countries of residence.
In 1997, Kanai, a corporate executive living in the United States, temporarily returned to Japan to appear before a Diet committee as a witness.
He was shocked by the nature of questions the lawmakers asked.
Some knew little about Japanese citizens living abroad and one even presumed they had “renounced” Japan, according to a book published by the Japanese Overseas Voters Network in Los Angeles.
Convinced he and other expatriates best knew how the world viewed Japan, Kanai vigorously responded to the lawmakers’ questions.
It was not until 2000 that legal revisions enabled those living overseas to vote in a national election from abroad for the first time. It took years of expatriates from around the world persistently campaigning.
Now, a new milestone has been reached with a Supreme Court ruling on May 25.
The top court unequivocally admitted the unconstitutionality of expatriates being barred from participating in a performance review of Supreme Court justices held simultaneously with every Lower House election.
The court went so far as to rebuke the Diet for its legislative negligence.
Voters may feel the review of justices is an unfamiliar procedure compared with an election in which they write the names of candidates and political parties they support.
No justice has been dismissed so far as a result of a performance review.
Still, its oversight function may have proved itself last year. A good number of voters gave a failing X mark to some justices apparently for not supporting separate surnames for married couples.
The “weight” of each ballot keeps both politicians and justices on their toes.
This is something Japanese citizens living in Japan must also bear in mind.
--The Asahi Shimbun, May 27
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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.
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