Reconsidering Age of Candidacy in Japan: Survey Insights on Youth Political Eligibility
The legal age of candidacy acts as a barrier that prevents youth from participating in politics as representatives. In Japan, the candidacy age has been relatively high compared to other countries: 25 years old for most elections and 30 years old for elections to the House of Councilors and for prefectural governors. The candidacy age has become a widely debated issue worldwide in recent years. Although there had been little discussion in Japan about lowering it, judicial and political attention to this issue has recently begun to emerge. Despite the growing interest, there is a lack of empirical research—both in Japan and in other countries—on how voters perceive the candidacy age and youth politicians. What do voters think about very young politicians?
To address this question, I conducted two original surveys. The first survey directly asked 3,515 Japanese citizens whether they support lowering the age of candidacy. The second survey employed an experimental design, presenting respondents with various fictional politician profiles to assess how a candidate’s young age influences respondents’ preferences. The findings from these surveys suggest that the Japanese public does not really support the current candidacy age thresholds of 25 or 30. Rather, there appears to be significant public support for lowering the age of candidacy. Notably, support is even stronger among young respondents (aged 18–29)—those most directly affected by the current age restrictions.