Japan: Election Tweeting Forbidden · Global Voices
Keiko Tanaka

Even though Japanese is the second most active language in the world on Twitter, for the country's political candidates, tweeting during election campaigns is forbidden. A group of young activists is seeking to change this situation.
Candidates are restricted from publishing documents or pictures, including online activities such as posting blogs or sending out e-newsletters, or tweeting about meetings. Kensuke Harada, who started the One Voice Campaign [ja] to allow voters to find more information on the Internet, writes in his blog [ja]:
有権者は、
応援したい候補者の応援サイトを作ってがんがん更新とかできない。
政策の情報がわからない。
そもそも、立候補者の情報がわからない。
こんなんで、まともな政治家がうまれるわけがない。
若者が政治に関心持つ訳がない。
日本がよくなるはずがない。
政治家を選ぶ、”選挙制度”がだめだ。
Voters are not allowed to set up a website to encourage particular candidates. Voters can't find information on candidates and policies on the Internet. This is not a good environment to produce a decent politician. Young people have no way to be interested in politics. This is no way to make Japan a better place. The current election system to choose politician is just broken.