Early Voting for the Tokyo Governor election

東京都知事選挙　わたしたちにできることがある。
Polls open from 7am to 8pm on election day (Sun 2014-Feb-9)
After Governor Naoki INOSE (猪瀬直樹知事 {INOSE Naoki chiji}) resigned on December 19th 2012, due to questions and allegations of improper financing, a new election for the Governor of Tokyo was set up to quickly replace him: the election is set for Sunday, February 9th, 2014 — less than two months after 猪瀬 {INOSE} announced his resignation. Japan usually (but not always) sets their election days on Sundays to maximize turnout.

While not a national election, the "local" election of Tokyo governor is a big deal: both in Japan and internationally. The Tokyo metropolitan area has one of the largest populations and GDPs in the world; both numbers are larger than most countries in the world. Because of this, the logistics for running an election this large this quickly are formidable:
Registered Eligible Voters:
10,820,567 citizens (58,761 more people than last election)
  • 5,319,456 men
  • 5,501,111 women
Candidates
sixteen (16)
Anybody that deposits ¥3,000,000 and is a Japanese national and at least 30 years old can run for prefectural governor in Japan (expect to lay out at least ¥6,000,000 up front for other incidentals). You get the deposit back if you get at least 10% of the total vote.

The candidates were announced on Saturday, January 23rd.
NameAgePolitical PartyProfession
ひめじけんじ {HIMEJI Kenji}61unaffiliatedbuilding management industry
宇都宮健児 {UTSUNOMIYA Kenji}67unaffiliated
(supported by JCP, SDP, Greens Japan and New Socialist party of Japan)		lawyer
ドクター・中松 {Dokutā · NAKAMATSU}
(Doctor NakaMats)		85unaffiliatedinventor
田母神俊雄 {TAMOGAMI Toshio}65unaffiliated
(supported by Restoration Political Party・New Wind)		former JASDF Chief of Staff
鈴木達夫 {SUZUKI Tatsuo}73unaffilatedlawyer
中川智晴 {NAKAGAWA Tomoharu}55unaffiliatedfirst class architect
舛添要一 {MASUZOE Yōichi}65unaffiliated
(supported by New Komeito and LDP / LibDems)		former Minister of Health, Labour, and Welfare (MHLW)
細川護熙 {HOSOKAWA Morihiro}76unaffiliated
(supported by DPJ, People's Life Party and Yuinotoh)		former Prime Minister
マック赤坂 {Makku AKASAKA}
(Mac Akasaka)		65Smile Partytherapist
家入一真 {IEIRI Kazuma}35unaffiliateddirector/officer of internet/IT company
内藤久遠 {NAITŌ Hisao}56unaffiliatedformer president of a construction equipment sales company
金子博 {KANEKO Hiroshi}84unaffiliatedhotel management industry
五十嵐政一 {IGARASHI Masaichi}82unaffiliatedboard chairman of general association
酒向英一 {SAKŌ Eiichi}64unaffiliatedformer municipal agricultural affairs worker
松山親憲 {MATSUYAMA Chikanori}72unaffiliatedpart time employee of a security company
根上隆 {NEGAMI Takashi}64unaffiliatedformer city worker for 中野区 {Nakano-ku}
Polling Stations:
1,869 locations
Vote Counting Stations:
62 locations
Campaign Poster Boards:
14,134 locations
Early Voting Locations:
283 locations
Campaign Expenditure Limits:
¥60,500,000
  • base: ¥24,200,000
  • per population: ¥36,300,000 (¥7 per registered voter)
Historical voter turnout (last 18 elections since 1947):
  • High: 72.36% (1971)
  • Low: 43.19% (1987)
  • Average: 58.76%
東京都知事選挙執行一覧
Weather affects turnout, even with early voting

Who Is Eligible to Vote

S.E.N.S. Tokyoite
Sorry, Osakans not eligible to vote
Those meeting these all three conditions can vote in the 2014 Tokyo governor election:
  • Japanese nationals (natural-born and naturalized)
  • Born on or before February 10, 1994 — 20 years old, which is the age one is considered to be an "adult" in Japan
  • Registered residents of Tokyo on or before October 22, 2013 — have lived in Tokyo metro proper for three (3) months or more

Early Voting (期日前投票 {kijitsuzen tōhyō})

経堂あんしんすこやかセンター
A Setagaya City multi-purpose branch office
setup as a early voting polling area
For those that can't make it to the polling stations on election day — such as myself: I'll be in Hokkaidō for the 65th Annual Sapporo Annual Snow Festival (さっぽろ雪まつり {Sapporo yuki matsuri}) — early voting is available for the sixteen (16) days prior to the election. There is usually open one early voting station on January 24th in every voting district, then they open the rest of the early voting areas — usually small branch offices (出張所 {shutchōjo}) of the Ward Offices (区役所 {kuyakusho}) & City Halls (市役所 {shiyakusho}) — on February 2nd (Sunday), one week prior to election.

Polling areas for early voting are open for voting from 8:30am in the morning to 8pm at night. Election day voting is open earlier: 7am.

Absentee Voting (不在者投票 {fuzaisha tōhyō})

U.S. mailbox in Tokyo from Shinagawa's sister city, Portland, Oregon
A rare U.S. style mailbox in Shinagawa, Tokyo
Voting for representatives of Japan's parliament, the Diet (国会 {kokkai}) — either for the House of Councillors (上議員 {jōgiin}) or the House of Representatives (衆議院 {shūgiin}) — is possible from within Japan or overseas* locations (providing you meet the requirements regarding being a registered resident, age, and Japanese national) via postal mail. However, voting for Governor and most other local elections from overseas is not possible or permitted.

* Voting from outer space (such as Japanese astronauts on the ISS) and the Arctic Circle or Antarctica or other places where postal service is not available is also possible and done via FAX and/or other special long-distance means.

"How do I vote for Dr. NakaMats from here"?

Voting by Political Party lines/endorsements/recommendations

東京都　スマイル党　マック赤坂
The only one running under a party this election
is perennial candidate "Mac" Akasaka
For the election of governor in Japan, you do not need to be registered to a political party nor do you vote for a party. In fact, in this particular election, all of the candidates except for one are not affiliated with any party (although the major political parties have endorsed their preferred candidates).

There is a list of names in every polling booth (with no pictures) and you hand-write the name of your candidate on a ballot with a pencil. A crib sheet with the names of all the candidates, and the parties they are a member of, is at every voting booth, so you don't need to worry about remembering the candidates' names or how to write them.

Unlike proportional voting, you cannot vote by writing in a party name on the ballot.

What to Bring

You do not need to bring either photo identification (身分証明書 {mibun shōmeisho}) or an official/unofficial stamp/seal/"chop" (印鑑 {inkan}) to vote either on voting day or to vote early. You simply need to bring you voting ticket which was sent to you in the mail to the . You do need to bring your 投票所入場整理券 {tōhyōjo nyūjō seiriken} (Polling Place Entrance Ticket) that was sent to you in by postal mail to the Tokyo address associated with your 住民票jūminhyō (local residency registration). It is possible to vote even if you lost it or it was destroyed, but there is a complicated verification.
投票所入場整理券在中
You (and your family's) ticket(s) to vote are mailed to you.
On election day, you should vote at the polling place indicated on your ticket (there will be an address and map). For early voting, there are many places you can vote within your district. It is possible to vote at a non-standard place (especially for people with disabilities), but this is a slightly more complicated procedure. Instructions for all of this will be in the envelope with the tickets.

Differences between election day voting

The only major difference between voting on election day and early voting is that you will need to fill out an additional small piece of paper at the polling booth swearing that your early voting is legitimate. The card — called a 期日前投票宣誓書 {kijitsuzen tōhyō sensei-sho} (Oath Form for Early Voting) — will have spaces for the election officials to complete (numbers indicating the voting station, etc.) and an area outlined in a thick black box that you need to complete:
  • The date you're voting (today's date)
  • Your legal Japanese name in 漢字・仮名 {kanji · kana} (Japanese sinograms / syllabet), with 振り仮名 {furigana} (reading / pronunciation), that must match the 投票人名簿 {tōhyōjin meibō} (eligible voter roster) accessible from the local laptop computers at the polling station.
  • Your birthdate, with the year in 和暦 {wareki} (Japanese era calendar year)
  • Your full residential address, which must match the address registered on the eligible voter roster (投票人名簿 {tōhyōjin meibō})
  • A valid reason
    The reason you're voting early, which is selectable via multiple choice from a variety of reasons, such as:
    • Out of town for business or work
    • レジャー {rejā} (leisure): shopping, meeting, seeing a movie, etc.
    • Planned vacation
    • Medical appointment or visiting somebody in the hospital
Regarding the "reason" for early voting, there are no right or wrong answers. They want to know for statistical reasons for improving turnout in the future.

After completing the oath form, you vote just like you would in any other Japanese election.
Location: 日本, 東京都

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