Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi urged a government information technology panel Thursday to consider ways to introduce electronic voting in local elections, officials said.
"For politicians, the introduction of online voting systems is an issue of big concern. I would like you to study it so that willing local governments can introduce it," Koizumi was quoted as telling the day's meeting of the IT Strategy Headquarters.
Hiroshima Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba has been calling for introduction of an online voting system in the next Hiroshima gubernatorial election this fall.