The Lower House on Thursday passed a bill to enable people aged 18 or 19 to vote in the upcoming Upper House election even if they change their address shortly before the ballot.
While the country is set to lower its voting age to 18 from 20 on June 19, some 70,000 of the 2.4 million new voters were expected to become ineligible to vote as the current election system shuts out those who change their address less than three months before the election.
Since Japan's academic year starts in April, many high school graduates tend to move in the spring to start further education or work, raising concerns that young people's votes would subsequently be limited in the upcoming election just as the government seeks to raise their interest and participation in politics.