Japan election candidates worried about new helmet mandate

FUKUOKA candidates in Japan's nationwide local elections in April are worried that a new rule demanding cyclists wear a helmet could cause problems with their campaigns, though there are no penalties for offenders.

As a public figure, I have to observe laws and regulations, a Fukuoka Municipal Assembly member told the Mainichi Shimbun in late March, referring to the looming helmet mandate starting on April 1.

The Fukuoka city assembly race is in the first round of Japan's unified local elections, for which campaigns were officially kicked off on March 31. Candidates in seven electoral districts will be competing for the assembly's 62 seats. Unlike national and gubernatorial elections, the electoral zones in the municipal assembly poll are small, and some candidates venture into narrow alleys on bicycles to reach voters during the campaign.

The Fukuoka assemblyman thought that I wanted to avoid being criticized by voters and others for not wearing a helmet, and bought a helmet for about 5,000 yen approx. He prefers blue, his signature color, but ended up with white as blue ones were in short supply.

When I tried it on at home, my kids laughed at me, he confessed. He intends to wear his new headgear on April 1 when he cycles through residential neighborhoods, trailing his campaign van.

This campaign period is the first since Japan left pandemic mask-wearing at the discretion of individuals, so candidates can campaign without masks. Even the helmet issue leaves incumbent assembly members worried that they need to bike around to promote themselves.

If I wear a helmet, people may not recognize me because I might look different from my posters, complained one assemblyperson, while another said, Once I put it on, it will ruin my hair. Another councilor said, What if other candidates go without helmets and I'm the only one wearing one? Candidates can use bicycles as a means of transport during campaigns, but they are not allowed to blare out their names while pedaling, according to the Fukuoka municipal election management commission. There are certain restrictions on posting documents and drawings under the Public Offices Election Act for candidates to attach banners bearing their names to their bikes. As part of the campaign, showing a candidate's name on their helmet may run counter to the election law.

If we see that kind of campaigning in photos and other mediums, we may give instructions to the candidates, said an election commission official.

The city's crime prevention and traffic safety division has been collaborating with the Fukuoka Prefectural Government and the prefectural police to inform residents of the new helmet requirement. It would be difficult to issue instructions to residents and candidates by stopping them from riding bikes without helmets, according to a division official. It is likely that candidates' common sense is up to candidates' helmet-wearing during campaigning.