The media kept referring to last week's House of Representatives poll as the "manifesto election," because it was the first time Japan's political parties had spelled out their platforms. The inexperience showed. In their printed versions, the manifestos were considered all but incomprehensible, and more than one commentator said that what the parties needed weren't strategists, but editors.
It became the responsibility of the media itself to explain the parties' plans to the electorate. This responsibility reflected back on itself at the exit polls. One of the questions newspapers and TV reporters asked in these polls was whether or not the manifestos influenced the respondent's vote, but they didn't ask if voters actually read the manifestos or understood them.
Asahi TV reporter Soichiro Tahara, during a round-table discussion last Sunday night, commented that he didn't really find that much substantive difference between the manifestos of the two leading parties. So it wasn't entirely clear what the manifestos in the "manifesto election" accomplished, except to clarify the fact that candidates in the past could sidestep issues. In that regard, the manifestos did serve a purpose. It's already been noted that the Liberal Democratic Party will have to fulfill some of the pledges in their manifesto before next year's Upper House election, otherwise they'll look like charlatans.