On June 26th, voters listen to a campaign speech in Kanagawa Prefecture. When people hear the word election in Japan, Asahi Shimbun comes to mind first? Maybe you have candidate posters or noisy campaign vans?
I thought about it while listening to a campaign speech in Tokyo on June 25, the first Saturday after official campaigning started for the July 10 Upper House election.
When I think about Australia, where the general election last month led to a regime change, my thoughts immediately go to freshly grilled sausages.
They are prepared by volunteers near polling stations to prepare for democracy sausages.
When I worked as a correspondent in the country, I made a habit of eating them whenever I covered elections.
The sausages sell for about 500 yen $3.71, which is used to finance local welfare and other activities.
Adults and children go to polling stations looking forward to sausages.
A local political scientist said sausages may be the biggest contributor to keeping voter turnouts close to 90 percent.
In Australia, people are legally required to vote, but avoiding a fine is not the only reason for many to cast their ballots.
The local culture is part of the election and voters try to make it fun.
The Quad leaders meeting took place shortly after his Labor Party won the election, and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese flew to Tokyo. The meeting included Japan, the United States, and India.
He also decided that Australia would participate in the first meeting of signatory nations to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which was held in Vienna last week.
The momentum and changes that the election generates seems to motivate voters to go to the polls in Australia.
In Japan, less than half of the eligible voters cast their ballots in the previous Upper House election.
Political heavyweights came to support the candidate during the campaign speech in Tokyo, and I wondered if the audience became more interested in casting their votes.
I wondered whether we could sell takoyaki octopus balls near polling stations to entice people to vote in a daze due to the heat. I felt embarrassed.
Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that covers a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. The column is written by the veteran Asahi Shimbun writers and provides useful insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.