While compatibility tests are often used in gauging relationships or job prospects, they have also proven to be popular among voters seeking the right electoral candidate. More than 500,000 people have used Yahoo Japan’s “Compatibility Test” ahead of upper house elections on Sunday. The test is a series of 11 questions based on the major issues of the campaign, such as constitutional revision and the consumption tax. The would-be voter chooses his level of agreement with the statement: from fully agree, to fully oppose, with the merits and demerits of the policies listed underneath. Completely opposed to any revisions to Japan’s postwar constitution? Democratic Party of Japan’s representative for Tokyo, Kan Suzuki, may be your man. Feel it’s necessary for Japan to participate in the Trans-Pacific Partnership but not without protection of the agricultural sector? Your Party’s proportional representative Yukio Tomioka agrees with you 100%.
If the candidates’ own posted results aren’t enough to sway your opinion, there’s a section underneath that shows what noted Japanese personalities, such as Hiroyuki Nishimura, the founder of Japanese message board website 2channel, and Soichiro Tahara, a renowned journalist, posted as their answers to the same questions.
For those more serious about getting attached to a candidate, the Mainichi Shimbun has an even more detailed compatibility test. Its survey poses 26 questions extending to topics such as Okinawa base issues and the death penalty, allowing the test taker to determine each issue’s importance.
The results on candidate compatibility even include a pie graph showing which specific questions were incompatible with the test taker. They also show how many other people answered each question.
Full Article: Japanese Voters Weigh Candidate Compatibility – Japan Real Time – WSJ.