Japan gives candidates just 12 days to campaign for the House of Representatives, with strict rules on how campaigns can be conducted. Door-to-door canvassing is prohibited, while posters, advertising and election broadcasting are tightly regulated. Candidates also have access to regulated campaign opportunities, including free political broadcasting.
India’s 2024 Lok Sabha election was a much larger and longer exercise. The Centre for Media Studies estimated total election expenditure at around ₹1.35 lakh crore, while the Election Commission reported ₹10,106.20 crore worth of cash, liquor, drugs, precious metals and freebies seized during the election. The two countries therefore have very different campaign rules and political environments.
Japan’s system raises interesting questions about campaign length, political advertising, spending and equal visibility.
Which Japanese election rule, if any, would you like to see discussed for India?
