2026 POLLS: Youngsters Encourged in Various Ways to Go to Polls

Tokyo, Feb. 2 (Jiji Press)--As a snap election looms, various private-sector groups are stepping up efforts, both online and offline, to push up youth voter turnout.

Ahead of Sunday's election for the House of Representatives, the all-important lower chamber of the Diet, Japan's parliament, election information provider Ichini Inc. calls on younger voters to use a vote matcher app on its Senkyo Dot Com website. "Senkyo" means "election" in English.

After entering answers to multiple questions asked by the unique app, the user can find a like-minded political party, Ichini says.

According to the operator, more than 4 million people used the matching service during last year's election for the House of Councillors, the upper chamber of the Diet, and roughly 60 pct of them were younger than 40.

Kunikazu Suzuki, 36-year-old editor in chief of Senkyo Dot Com, also recommends that vote matchers by conventional news organizations and others be utilized simultaneously as questionnaires vary from app to app.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]