Japanese Politicians Actively Use Social Media: Fund Reports

TOKYO, Dec. 1 (Jiji Press) — Japanese political parties and lawmakers actively used social media and the Internet for their political activities in 2023, ten years after Internet election campaigns were legalized, reports on political funds show.

It is seen that the use of online messaging by political parties continues to increase as smartphones become important tools to reach voters and influence their voting behavior.

The largest opposition party, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, spent about 129 million yen on online distribution last year, according to 2023 reports released by the Interior Ministry on Friday.

Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Innovation Party) used over 86 million yen for social media and other online advertising.

Komeito, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s coalition partner, recorded about 29 million yen in spending related to advertising on YouTube, and the Democratic Party for the People recorded about 7 million yen in livestreaming spending.

(Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.)