Just say NO to election campaign sound trucks!
If you live in an area of Japan with an upcoming election, you probably don’t need me to tell you that campaigning begun for over 100 mayoral posts and assembly seats in more than 300 municipalities yesterday. I myself was alerted to this fact at 8:30am yesterday morning, when a truck drove by my apartment blaring a message over its loudspeakers: “This is candidate XXXX. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu!” Noise-polluting speaker trucks are an established part of Japanese elections, and I always wondered why they were tolerated. Does that audio spam work? I wonder if people actually think to themselves, “Wow, Candidate X just drove by announcing their name over a loudspeak so that every house within 4 blocks could hear. I think I’ll vote for him.” Perhaps someone does, since the candidates seem so keen on using such an annoying promotional method.
However, the days of annoying election campaign noise trucks might soon be over (hopefully). Mainichi reports on a group of politicians:
Ten local politicians, mostly those running in the second round of the unified local elections next Sunday, have set up a network opposing the blaring of candidates’ names from loudspeakers on election campaign cars.
“I’ll launch a campaign without using a car that would create noise, emit exhaust fumes and cost taxpayers money,” a 37-year-old candidate, who is running in Tokyo’s Chofu Municipal Assembly election on the ticket of the opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), said as he launched his campaign.
“Blaring candidates’ names from loudspeakers is a nuisance and its effect is doubtful. We shouldn’t waste taxpayers’ money,” said a 28-year-old candidate in the election for the Kumagaya Municipal Assembly in northern Saitama Prefecture.
He travels through his neighborhood by bicycle asking residents for support. “People speak to me more easily than to candidates riding in campaign cars. I’d like to have closer dialogue with local residents,” said the candidate, who is also a member of the network.
Is this the start of a new trend? We can only hope so.
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Finally! Candidates who actually gave this issue a thought!
I was actually thinking of creating a list of candidates to cross out names when I heard it being blared over loudspeakers, and vote out of whoever was left standing.
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Oh, why didn’t I think of that. I’ll start creating a list right away. I mean it. w
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i live in a city of about 50,000 people and these trucks are so annoying… I cannot imagine what it must be like in Tokyo or larger cities. I really hope this gains some steam…
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I’d love to have one of those jackets.
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Even in my small town, you can hear them blaring at all hours.
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I sooooooo want that logo!
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I want a jacket too. I live in a nice quiet residential area – prime feeding grounds for political sound trucks. But I don’t get it, seriously – does yelling your name over and over again actually win you votes? If so, the scary question is WHY? What is it about Japanese understanding of democratic process that makes this a viable (and effective?) means of campaigning?
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I hope this happens sooner! those trucks are soooooo annoying and have no effect on anyone’s vote except to make them NOT vote for them!
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I heard one unscrupulous British politian (Conservative I believe) riged up his own “sound truck” and went round broadcasting … the name of his (Labour) opponent. Needless to say he won.
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Would it be against the law to get bull horns and yell back to them to “Shut the Hell Up”?
Or perhaps large banners in the neighborhood to ward them off? Like a “This in NOT a Political Broadcasting Neighborhood – Violators will be ensured that we will not vote for you (and get the neighborhood board to sign it)” and post them in a 5 or 6 block radius. That should keep those guys from blaring out their names (especially in the early morning). If this idea works then it may be the end of political broadcasts. To seal the coffin (so to speak) you can put a large X over the politican’s poster (that’s posted in the neighborhood) who violates that neighborhood decision. I stress neighborhood decision as anything less (concensus) would be deemed simply as an act of grafitti.
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i was just video chatting with my gf in tokyo yesterday and i heard the politicians’ campaign trucks almost every 10 min…
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I hope this practice comes to an end. This weekend was the worst with at least 10 sound trucks slowly making their way through my neighbourhood. That of course doesn’t include the dozen or so people selling stuff like “yakiimo”.
And today, I had a candidate literally standing outside on the corner with a loudspeaker going on about her campaign for at least 20 minutes. Finally I had enough, I go downstairs (I had to get to the store anyway) and start yelling at her to shut the fark up. I proceed to berate her for the next few minutes saying that there’s no way in hell I, my wife or anybody else listening will vote for you because you’re bothering them.
She seemed not to understand but eventually cut her speech short and left with her entourage.
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