Kan wants compulsory voting
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Naoto Kan
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Democratic Party of Japan leader Naoto Kan said April 27 that people should be legally obliged to vote in national elections.
The main opposition party was defeated April 25 in all three Lower House by-elections, in which voter turnouts were at record lows.
Low voter turnout is believed to benefit candidates backed by solid organized votes.
The Liberal-Democratic Party won in all three constituencies, thanks to support from coalition partner New Komeito, the political arm of Soka Gakkai, a lay Buddhist organization that is a powerful vote-gathering machine.
"We can't say that democracy works soundly when voter turnout falls below 50 percent," Kan said at a news conference.
Kan said that the Constitution or relevant laws should be amended to make voting compulsory. He said people who don't vote should face penalties.
The Japan Times Weekly: May 8, 2004 (C) All rights reserved
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