House of Representatives election Overseas voting Held at Japanese embassies and consulates around the world

Overseas voting for the House of Representatives election, which will be counted on the 31st of this month, is being held at Japanese embassies and consulates around the world.

Overseas voting is a system for voters living overseas to vote in national elections. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, about 96,000 people are registered in the overseas electoral list as of August.

In this House of Representatives election, votes were postponed at 15 diplomatic missions abroad due to the spread of the new coronavirus infection, but votes will be held at 226 places around the world, including the Japanese embassy and consulate general. ..

Of these, the Japanese embassy in Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, which has the largest number of Japanese residents in Asia, will start voting on the 20th, and voters will fill out a ballot, put it in an envelope and hand it to the person in charge, and give one vote. I was throwing.

A 48-year-old man who finished voting said, "Since the Japanese economy is greatly affected by the new corona, we focused on economic measures. It is important to be able to vote even if you live abroad."

The period of overseas voting held at embassies varies depending on the region, and the deadline is 25th at the latest, and the votes are counted on the 31st after being transported to Japan.

Voters living overseas “I felt the need to speak up”

Naoki Kawamata, who has been working as a representative at a Japanese company in Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, cast a vote at the local Japanese embassy on the 21st.

Mr. Kawamata has been going to vote every time since he lived in Japan, and has been thinking about voting in Thailand as well.

In Thailand, the number of new coronavirus infections per day exceeded 20,000 in August of this year, and the infection spread. Kawamata was also delayed in vaccination and could not go out for a long time.

Mr. Kawamata said that voters living overseas also raised their voices when they saw Japanese residents in Thailand requesting the Japanese government to procure vaccines and the embassy promoting an inoculation program for Japanese people. It is said that he felt the need for things.

Mr. Kawamata said, "Even when I was abroad, I was often aware that it was related to Japanese politics. I think it is necessary to fulfill that responsibility firmly because I have the right to vote as one of the Japanese people. I was talking.