Kawasaki City gives foreign residents right to vote in referendums

Thursday 19th June, 12:49 PM JST

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Latest 15 of 24 Total Comments Show All

UnagiDon at 07:25 PM JST - 19th June

Good move, and in this case at least (local issues) I have to agree with the "I pay my taxes so should be able to vote" argument.
umbrella at 07:47 PM JST - 19th June

Now let this spread to other places. Tokyo anyone??? Ha ha ha!
leitmotiv at 08:02 PM JST - 19th June

I would love to sponsor some sort of "quailty of life referendum" with noise level caps - aimed at the black van freaks. I bet plenty of Japanese people would appreciate that.
Peeping_Tom at 09:07 PM JST - 19th June

"If I am a permanent resident, pay every kind of tax under the sun, break no laws, and work hard to support all the Japanese collecting benefits, I have the right to vote in local affairs... PERIOD!"

You don't have any inherent right to vote in Japain! You get what the Japainese decide to give you... PERIOD!
leitmotiv at 09:42 PM JST - 19th June

You don't have any inherent right to vote in Japain! You get what the Japainese decide to give you... PERIOD!

Yes and it appears they have given an inherent right to vote in this case.
Peeping_Tom at 10:07 PM JST - 19th June

Do you even know the meaning of inherent? Talk about acquiring rights, since you're not born Japainese, your parents are not Japainese, neither is your granny!

Reciprocal rights for Japainese living abroad are or should be on topic; or are only your concerns that are worth fighting for? Oh, I nearly forgot, there's absolutely no need for a Japainese to vote in London, isn't it?
leitmotiv at 10:40 PM JST - 19th June

Do you even know the meaning of inherent? Talk about acquiring rights, since you're not born Japainese, your parents are not Japainese, neither is your granny!

Dude...why the anger? OK I'll restate more carefully for you - the Japanese have granted voting rights that a few are quick to observe are not considered “inherent” rights, while most others really don’t care about the philisophical difference between "acquired" and "inherent" in the context of this JT story any more than they care about a random bicycle accident in rural China. Is that better? Sheesh. Calm down.
GenkiDesuKa at 11:16 PM JST - 19th June

If I am not mistaken, this new law also enfranchises those who are 18 and 19, as the voting age in Japan is usually 20. That is pretty interesting as well.
Speed at 01:11 AM JST - 20th June

Wow, this is more progressive than the US voting laws! As a permanent resident in the States, I was NEVER allowed to vote.
taikan at 01:44 AM JST - 20th June

As far back as the earliest recorded democracy in Athens, voting was an "inherent" right only for certain qualified citizens. However, as leitmotiv correctly points out, the distinction between "inherent" and "acquired" rights is irrelevant in this context.

Kawasaki City appears to have decided that it is in the best interests of the city to allow foreigners who have achieved permanent residency status to vote. I doubt that this is going to have a large impact on Japanese society, or on other Japanese cities. The more interesting aspect of what Kawasaki has done, and the one that may have a broader impact on Japanese society, is the fact that Kawasaki has extended the right to vote on local matters to 18 and 19 year olds.
lipscombe at 01:51 AM JST - 20th June

haha this has got a few people riled. my view is that a permanent resident who is paying an equal amount of tax as a japanese national should be allowed to vote. inherent right? bloodlines? pfft, wasted in some cases on nationals who dont vote or have no interest, the old adage 'no taxation without representation' rings true. it wont erode the moral fibre of japan (hah) and may even encourage the large percentage of foreign residents who dont bother to pay their ward taxes to do so
upnorth71 at 11:06 AM JST - 20th June

Kudos to Kawasaki City for their progressive move. Certainly more progressive the the USA- my mother, who is a green card holder, and has lived, worked and paid taxes for more than 35 years in California, has no right to vote in any elections there.

"...may even encourage the large percentage of foreign residents who dont bother to pay their ward taxes to do so"- ah..., lipscombe, tax dodgers may be induced to pay up for another reason, as visa renewal now requires proof of tax payment, said form to be certified at your local ward office...
lipscombe at 09:25 PM JST - 20th June

tax dodgers may be induced to pay up for another reason, as visa renewal now requires proof of tax payment, said form to be certified at your local ward office..

that'll sort the wheat from the chaff
Damax6 at 08:49 AM JST - 22nd June

forget about kawasaki and hiroshima, can we say this to any state in America, green card permanant resident aren`t allowed to vote in ANY election statewide. They pay taxes too,law-abiding, and serves in our military. So why dont we give them some voting rights!!!!!, we non japanese here want it ALL from Japan and the Japanese. If you want to vote in Japan. Then NATURALIZE!!!!!, Voting is a CITIZEN RIGHT and BENEFIT. if youre NOT a citizen, then youre NOT allows to vote PERIOD!!!! cant have your cake and eat it, then to leave to go back to YOUR country and vote....typical arrogance
lordomni at 12:17 PM JST - 23rd June

The difference is that in the US, there is a goal of naturalization. It is much easier to become a US citizen than a Japanese citizen and the country actively encourages it. While the same argument can be made that some may not wish to relinquish their native citizenship, it is an option. In Japan, it isn't.