High school students in Ehime Prefecture on Sunday held a symposium in Matsuyama that aimed to raise political awareness among young people as teenagers voted for the first time in the Upper House election.
Some 40 high school students from seven prefectures, including Niigata, Osaka and Okinawa, participated as panelists in the event, in which they discussed social issues such as the lowering of the voting age from 20 to 18 and the U.S. military presence in Okinawa.
As many as 80 people attended the event.
Among the speakers was Rei Higa, an 18-year-old third-year high school student at Okinawa Prefectural Futenma High School, who explained what it was like to live close to U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma.
"Our classes were often interrupted by the loud noise of (U.S. military aircraft) flying over at low altitude," said Higa, who grew up near the base.
Meanwhile, many students welcomed the change in minimum voting age, saying it presents a good opportunity for young people to turn their eyes to politics.
But Riko Kimura, 16, a student at Niigata Prefectural Tsubame Secondary School, was skeptical of the change.
"I don't understand why it was lowered to 18," Kimura said. "Lawmakers may have just wanted to do something different."
All preparation for the event, from planning and raising money to securing the venue, was handled by the high school students.
Amato Washino, an 18-year-old student at Ehime Prefectural Matsuyama Higashi High School who headed one of the organizing groups, said high school students will think more about politics if there are more events of this type.
"It'll be a shame if this event ends here," Washino said, adding that he hopes it will be repeated.