For town, city and prefectural government offices around Japan, the key issue in next month's Upper House election is not constitutional revision or the economy. It's persuading 18-year-olds to go to the polls.
While political pundits pointedly pontificate about the 2.4 million new youth votes, local election commissions are making efforts to explain to 18- and 19-year-olds why casting a ballot is critical to Japan's future, especially now that some candidates are as old as their grandparents and taking up unfamiliar topics.
To this end, a couple of Kansai regional governments have wisely dispensed with the bureaucratic discourse to produce manga and anime that promote the election process. Although they might appear amusing at times, they carry a serious message.