日本青年群体的政治参与度正在经历重要转变。长期以来，日本政治呈现出僵化和冷漠的特征，整体选民投票率仅维持在50%左右，而二十多岁年轻人的投票率更是长期低迷于30%左右。然而，在新型社交媒体政治营销的推动下，在去年的参议院选举中，18至19岁年轻人的投票率从2022年的35%提升至45%，20多岁和30多岁群体的投票率大幅增长了十个百分点以上，这一政治参与热潮也在今年2月的众议院选举中得以延续，打破了自1960与1970年代学生运动后长期存在的政治无力感。
社交媒体和网络视频平台成为新兴政党和政治人物吸引年轻选民的核心阵地。2024年，小镇前町长石丸伸二利用YouTube和TikTok平台吸引青年选民，在东京都知事选举中夺得第二名。国民民主党通过承诺降低社会保险费以增加到手工资，在众议院的席位翻了四倍达到28席；右翼民粹政党参政党（Sanseito）与拥抱人工智能的未来党（Team Mirai）也实现了历史性突破。自民党首位女性首相高市早苗则利用在线形象重塑党派吸引力，带领自民党在2月大选中取得压倒性胜利。
年轻选民的政治态度展现出更为现实和务实的倾向，而非传统意义上的左翼或右翼形态。日本青年理事会的室桥祐贵指出，受周边安全环境恶化影响，年轻一代对左翼政党反对国防预算及恪守和平宪法的立场感到脱节，并对2011年福岛核事故后关闭的核电站重启持更为务实的开放态度。尽管网络营销容易导致政治偏向“偶像化”（oshikatsu）和算法极化，但日本年轻选民参与度的提高正在使长期一党独大的日本政坛变得更加多元与充满竞争。
Japan is witnessing a significant shift in political engagement among its younger population. Historically, the nation's political landscape was defined by voter apathy, with overall turnout lingering around 50% and participation among voters in their 20s hovering near 30%. However, driven by social-media-savvy campaigns, turnout among 18- and 19-year-olds rose from 35% in 2022 to 45% during the last upper-house election, while turnout among citizens in their 20s and 30s jumped by over ten percentage points. This trend continued into the February lower-house election, disrupting decades of youth political disengagement following the student movements of the 1960s and 1970s.
Digital platforms like YouTube and TikTok are reshaping political mobilization and empowering non-traditional parties. In 2024, former small-town mayor Ishimaru Shinji secured a surprising second-place finish in the Tokyo gubernatorial race by leveraging short-form video content. Similarly, the Democratic Party for the People quadrupled its lower-house representation to 28 seats by advocating social-insurance fee cuts to boost take-home pay for struggling young workers. Emerging groups like the right-wing populist Sanseito and the AI-focused Team Mirai also made breakthroughs, while Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae capitalized on social media appeal to lead the ruling LDP to a landslide victory in February.
Younger Japanese voters display an increasingly pragmatic mindset rather than adhering to rigid ideological lines. According to Murohashi Yuki of the Japan Youth Council, growing security concerns regarding China and North Korea make left-wing opposition to defense spending and strict adherence to pacifism appear out of touch. Moreover, young voters favor restarting nuclear power plants shut down after the 2011 Fukushima disaster. Although algorithms risk driving provocative click-bait politics akin to pop-idol fandom ("oshikatsu"), the surge in youth participation is rendering Japanese politics more dynamic and competitive.
Source: Japanese politics is becoming less of a turn-off for the young
Subtitle: Social-media-savvy politicians are drawing them i
Dateline: 7月 30, 2026 05:36 上午 | TOKYO