Thanks to video-sharing Web sites like YouTube, it has become easier to broadcast and share video clips with the world, whether it's a short film shot with a cell phone or an elaborately choreographed movie.

Inevitably, politicians are among those taking advantage of Google-operated YouTube, which boasts 250 million users worldwide, as a promotional tool.

While the best-known political use of YouTube may be the last couple of fierce U.S. presidential elections, Japanese politicians are riding the wave as well, although the election law here bans the use of online promotional tools during official campaign periods.