Yawning in the face of danger

摘要

It is the opposite of election fever. On July 21st Japan will go to the polls to vote for 124 of 245 seats in the upper house, where members sit for six years. Were it not for the posters, the odd noisy campaign van and occasional rallies outside train stations, few people would notice. The vote is not the main topic of conversation in the media nor in crowded cafes. Indeed, given the lack of interest, some analysts fret that turnout will dip below 50%.