“Hijacking” Poster Boards Causes Stir in Tokyo Governor Election

Tokyo, June 27 (Jiji Press)--The ongoing Tokyo governor race has caused controversy over the way official bulletin boards for campaign posters are used.

A political group called NHK Party, which fielded 24 candidates in the gubernatorial election, is exchanging 24 poster spaces with a donation of 25,000 yen. A donator can use the spaces to put posters of their choice. Spaces on some 1,050 boards have been “sold” so far.

As a result, some boards have been “hijacked” by identical posters that have nothing to do with candidates, including those trying to lure viewers into a paid website through a quick response, or QR, code or advertising a sexual service parlor.

“These posters are making fun of the election,” a woman in her 70s said in front of a board with many identical posters near the metropolitan government head office in the capital’s Shinjuku Ward. “They go beyond commonsense.”

“While the posters may not be illegal, they undermine the seriousness of the election, making me reluctant to vote,” said a man in his 30s.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]