Unusually for Japan, the promise of change is as electorally critical for the incumbent as for the challengers. Every dog whistle counts, and the nation’s hair-dyers may yet swing this. Takaichi has broken Japanese prime ministerial ground by even discussing the subject in public.
Surveys suggest that about 70 per cent of the 33 million Japanese women aged between 40 and 79 dye their hair to cover greying. Half, like Takaichi, do it themselves rather than spend money on a salon. In a white-knuckle election race, Japan’s over-40 female hair dyers represent a very useful 22 per cent of the total electorate.
CHALLENGES IN A RUSHED ELECTION
The Feb 8 election, aimed at providing Takaichi and the LDP with a clear parliamentary mandate, has a rushed, chaotic feel to it.
There is a reason Japan has only ever held a couple of elections in February. It’s a time of year when snow often blankets large parts of the archipelago. University entrance exams are on. The impending end of the fiscal year creates an up-all-hours distraction for millions of workers.
On top of that, Takaichi has chosen to seek this mandate in a phase of true turmoil, only a fraction of which is within her powers to relieve. Japanese households and businesses are wrestling with the country’s exit from decades of abnormally low inflation, wage growth and interest rates.
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