If I were to become the governor of Tokyo2

Wait, what do you mean it wasn’t wrong? Do you have any idea how many more soldiers died because of it?"

"Jean, anyone can make a choice after knowing the outcome. It's easy to say we should have done this or that afterward."

"But... you can't know the outcome before making the choice, right? Who is that titan? How many are there? What can they do? What do they know? What don't they know?"

"We don’t know! There are always so many unknowns! But time keeps moving and doesn’t stop for us! Even without knowing the results, the time to make a choice will always come."

"I haven't lived for very long, but there's one thing I'm sure of... If there are people who can change something, it’s those who can give up something important."

"If you’re forced to surpass even monsters, it's those who can abandon their humanity. Those who can’t give up anything can't change anything."

This is a conversation between Jean and Armin, and Armin's words, from "Attack on Titan."

On July 7th, the Tokyo gubernatorial election was held, and I also went to vote.

The result is that Ms. Koike will serve her third term as governor of Tokyo.

As someone who supported Mr. Ishimaru, I am disappointed.

The elections have not functioned as they should for a long time, if ever. They no longer evaluate a candidate's abilities, achievements, or integrity but rather focus on the candidate's support base, the people around them, and their media presence—essentially, they are "air elections" that read the room.

Watching the public debate, it was clear to me that Ms. Koike's abilities, achievements, and integrity were questionable, and anyone who watched the debate wouldn't have wanted to vote for her.

Personally, I feel that politicians who do not answer questions are no longer in tune with the times, which is very disappointing.

During the election, an elderly person next to me was supporting Ms. Koike. I almost asked that elderly person what they valued in Ms. Koike and what they expected from her. Perhaps Ms. Koike, who continues policies that favor the "economically privileged generation" of elderly people, is seen as a good (or convenient) person to them.

Am I the only one who feels that elections no longer function properly? In Japan, where about 30% of the population is elderly, and most voters are elderly, the reality is that most elderly people spend their days watching TV and vote for those they frequently see on TV, driven by the "mere exposure effect." The elderly tend to have a strong "status quo bias," which makes them want to maintain the current state of affairs.

It is my theory that the rate of winning candidates and parties is proportional to the aging rate of the country.

According to a survey by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications in 2017, the voter turnout for the 48th House of Representatives election was lowest among those aged 20-24 and highest among those aged 70-74.

★20-24 years old: 30.6% ★70-74 years old: 74.1%

In the recent Tokyo gubernatorial election, the turnout was 60%, and if most elderly people voted for Ms. Koike, then no matter how many young people voted, Ms. Koike was bound to win.

This is my opinion, but if we continue with the current election system, I think that those who choose to receive a pension should lose their right to vote. The current elderly over 70 are receiving on average seven times the amount they paid into their pensions. Japan is not a "democracy" but a "silver democracy."

Receiving a pension means living at the expense of the country or, more precisely, the people who work in that country. I believe that to gain some rights, sacrifices are necessary. The idea that only those who make sacrifices should have voting rights is worth considering, isn't it?

We are not just looking at today, tomorrow, or even just a year ahead. We are looking at the future of the young people who will live in the next generation.

To me, it seems unlikely that elderly pensioners or elderly politicians in their 70s and 80s who continue to go out and vote really have the future of the young people in mind.

If you are committed to the future of the country or city, you should choose not to receive a pension. This is one of the effective ways to transition from a "silver democracy" to a "democracy."

"No meaning or reason is needed anymore. The meaning of this act may only come to be known hundreds of years after I die. Surely, I am just one part of a greater... something."

"I will keep killing curses until I rust away. That is my role in this fight."

These are the words of Yuji Itadori from "Jujutsu Kaisen."

Politics is not about individual politicians but the system. This applies not just to politics but to studies, work, and sports as well.

In politics, you implement a policy and judge it by the numbers. Repeating this experiment and verification process is the work of politicians in politics.

We should judge politicians not by whether we like how they talk or their attitude, but by the numbers.

If the numbers are good, they are competent. If not, they are not.

The important thing is to communicate these numbers to the citizens truthfully, without falsifying them or protecting one's own position. If we are committed to the future, the important thing is the numbers.

In this Tokyo gubernatorial election, I supported Mr. Ishimaru because I believed he could carry this out.