The Tokyo gubernatorial election has attracted a record number of candidates, including several fringe and unconventional participants. Among these is Kawai Yusuke, known as the 'Joker politician,' who has gained attention for his controversial campaign tactics, including salacious posters and provocative speeches. Another notable candidate is AI Mayor, who has demanded Kawai's expulsion from events due to his campaign methods. The election has also seen the use of legal loopholes to manipulate official election boards, leading to chaotic and sometimes bizarre displays. Despite the unconventional nature of some candidates, the election process continues, with debates being streamed online and candidates receiving airtime on major broadcasters like NHK. The election requires a ¥3 million deposit and features over 50 candidates, with debates hosted by journalist Hatakeyama Michiyoshi. Sakurai Miu is also notable for her involvement in putting up controversial posters. Kawai has criticized political dynasties and the influence of Soka Gakkai/Komeito. Some election boards near Shinkoiwa Station have even been used to display cute animal pictures.
Tokyo Election has an A.I. Candidate, among many other Wacky Candidates. https://t.co/MGQsqU9wOe https://t.co/HaqhykVu4B
With all the talk of the Tokyo gubernatorial election's joke candidates, it's good to remember that unhinged candidates for office are a tried and true Japanese tradition. We wrote about a crop of them back in 2019 - and who votes for them: https://t.co/h6VyZSCh0g https://t.co/Zhd6zYa6yE
It bears repeating that Kawai Yusuke was actually an elected representative in the city of Soka, Saitama Prefecture the past two years. Which means 1,746 voters saw this (he’s run for various offices since 2021) and were like “he’s just like me fr” https://t.co/ngqJOmOdsx https://t.co/9s87MgjMhq
Possibly the most innocent abuse of Tokyo's gubernatorial election poster boards to date: instead of advertising scams or railing against immigrants, someone used the spaces near Shinkoiwa Station's south entrance to put up cute pics of animals. https://t.co/1CzeG16kJx
Japan's major broadcaster NHK is required to give airtime to candidates running for governor of Tokyo. Including the local Joker cosplay candidate (via @nihonpolitics) https://t.co/zgszr7Wg5r
An official election speech that just aired on Japanese public TV: Joker politician Kawai Yusuke declared that all one can do is "just laugh" at the state of Tokyo. He also doesn't like political dynasties and the influence of Soka Gakkai/Komeito. https://t.co/WCgKh2sfh8
A legal loophole has enabled one party to "hijack" the official election boards for the Tokyo governor's race. The result is pure chaos. Learn who's behind it - and what, if anything, can be done about it - in our latest. https://t.co/yVLBAjMcxE
Sakurai Miu, who gained notoriety putting up salacious posters on Tokyo election boards, is still helping candidate Kawai Yusuke put posters up. This one pushes the falsehood that foreigners in Japan receive tons of money in social welfare benefits (they don't). https://t.co/qgxCUcf1ZV
The Japanese Joker politician retweeted my video about why people like him run in the Tokyo gubernatorial election.🤡 https://t.co/vLv3bxYSi8 https://t.co/4DpdLfnid3
Japan's Joker politician, Kawai Yusuke, made a late entry to the Nico Nico Tokyo gubernatorial debate. Another fringe candidate, AI Mayor, demanded that Kawai be expelled from the event. AI Mayor was not a fan of Kawai's naked lady election posters. https://t.co/8794SLPrnm https://t.co/O4XLwsGvu4
Nico Nico is streaming a Tokyo gubernatorial election debate and invited all 50+ of the candidates. It is hosted by journalist Hatakeyama Michiyoshi, who is known for writing about Japan's strangest perennial candidates. Some are participating remotely. https://t.co/9n8e5R31Js https://t.co/xenoBdroYV
Ever wonder why so many weird candidates with little chance of winning join major Japanese elections such as the Tokyo gubernatorial race? I provide my answer to this question in a new video on my YouTube channel. Check it out! https://t.co/FxaAN8Yfqu https://t.co/cMPAeqof70
The Tokyo gubernatorial election has attracted a record number of candidates, with many seemingly drawn by the amount of publicity to be gained during campaigning, a ¥3 million deposit notwithstanding. https://t.co/qYhMx1ySc6
Poster pranks cause chaos in Tokyo gubernatorial election campaign https://t.co/fjXeIm5eTc