Calls to postpone elections until after the current state of emergency due to the coronavirus were growing in late April after a Shizuoka by-election for a Diet seat saw a record low turnout of just 34.1 percent.
But with the ruling Liberal Democratic Party opposed to postponement despite growing pressure from coalition partner Komeito and with experts skeptical about the quick introduction of internet voting, how to ensure that upcoming elections have a high turnout if the state of emergency is still in place remains a tough question.
As of the end of last month, 15 political races around the country had been held under the national state of emergency, including 14 local elections. There were record low turnouts in 10 of them, including the Shizuoka campaign.