More celebrities in Japan have been seen making political comments or encouraging people to vote in Sunday's Upper House election, an indication of change in the country where such expressions have long been taboo.

In the past, popular figures tended to be more cautious about speaking out politically due to fears of upsetting TV stations or their sponsors, as well as being conscious of the risk of losing fans with different political views.

So Takei, an athlete and TV personality who was criticized after commenting about a politician on TV, tweeted earlier this month: "We live in a democratic country. Politicians are not the only people who can talk about politics. We also can and we should." He was retweeted over 18,000 times.