As Japan expects to lower the voting age from 20 to 18 this month, Japanese youth are ambivalent about the impact.

• The Lower House has passed the measure, signaling the start of a legislative change that would be the first in 70 years to alter the minimum voting age and would enfranchise 2.4 million 18- and 19-year-olds.
• While some Japanese teens welcome the empowerment in a country that often prioritizes senior rights, others express apathy, resonating with the record-low 32.58% voter turnout among twentysomething voters in the last election.
• One civics expert calls for educational reforms to prepare the newly enfranchised populace for the decision-making and engagement process voting entails.

“I hope the lowered voting age will encourage more young people to pay attention to politics and make efforts to get their messages across. Only then can Japan turn into a real democracy.”

More on this story at The Japan Times.

(Image Credit: The Japan Times)