Elections will be held here in Japan this coming Sunday (July 21, 2019.) Here’s a CNN article. I just sort of randomly chose it, but it’s interesting, and also you can see a list of the various political parties in Japan.

https://edition.cnn.com/2019/07/18/asia/japan-election-women-abe-constitution-intl-hnk/index.html

In the weeks before an election, it is common for cars and trucks with loudspeakers to slowly drive through the neighborhood, loudly (and I mean LOUDLY!) proclaiming the benefits of its party’s candidate. I find the noise amusing, sort of, I guess, but it’s also really annoying. A few years ago I was taking the JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test) and a truck went by outside. It was blaring election issues into test room WHILE we were taking the listening section of the test! Luckily, it passed by between questions. But it would have been frustrating had the truck gone by during a question because each question is done only once.

Okay, so today I was out and about near my home in downtown Fukushima City. Here’s a video of me coming across one of the trucks.

(I say in the video that “candidates own the trucks.” I doubt that’s true. Forgive me, I was speaking off the top of my head with no knowledge whatsoever. I don’t know whom owns the trucks, but probably the political party does. Or maybe they are rented.)

The next video….

My mistake: Shouhi doesn’t mean tax, it was a silly mistake of me to say that. It means consumption. (In this case, referring to the consumption tax which is probably going to be raised. These party members are against raising the consumption tax.)

Looking at the truck, I can figure out what political party it is: 共産党　Kyousantou（Japan Communist Party）

This is the second time I’ve come across the Communist Party and taken photos, and I must say–both times they’ve been very nice!