Political Candidates May Not Use Internet in Japan

According to an article in the online version of Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun, Internet campaigning for the upcoming Lower House elections are prohibited by the Public Offices Election Law. Candidates may not update Web sites or report activities in e-mail magazines.

The reason, says the article, is that the Liberal Democratic party fears that online campaigning will "disadvantage parties with elderly supporters," and "the system could be abused to slander candidates."

The article compares such prohibitions in Japan with the Internet campaigning, blogging and Internet organizing of political support in the U.S. and South Korea.