日本各大黨派運用漫畫等手段吸引年輕人支持

Japanese cities are using manga and anime to persuade young people to vote in forthcoming elections.

日本一些城市正在利用漫畫和動漫來說服年輕人，讓他們在即將到來的大選中投票。

The popular formats feature in local electoral commission materials aimed at newly enfranchised 18- and 19-year-olds, which explain why going to the polls is important, The Japan Times website reports.

據《日本時報》網站上的一則報道稱，在日本一些地方選舉委員會的選舉宣傳材料中，出現了一些動漫相關的東西，它們非常受歡迎，其目的是爲了吸引那些18、19歲剛剛獲得選舉權的年輕人，向他們解釋爲什麼參與選舉很重要。

Last year, Japan lowered the voting age from 20 to 18 - the first change in seven decades. An election on 10 July to choose members of the upper house of parliament will be the first national poll since the law changed.

去年，日本政府將選舉權的年齡從20歲下調到了18歲--這是近70年來首次選舉人年齡資格的下調。7月10日，日本將選舉出上議院的議員，而這將是選舉法修改後的第一次全國性選舉。

Officials in the city of Nara have created a five-minute-long anime video on the importance not only of voting, but of making an informed decision at the ballot box.

奈良市政府製作了一份5分鐘長的動漫視頻，其目的不僅僅是爲了向年輕人們解釋選舉的重要性，還告訴他們在選舉中做出一個明智的決定是很重要的。

It shows three girls celebrate turning 18, two of whom don't intend to use their votes. Other characters then warn the girls that it's never been more important to make their voices heard. It ends with what the paper describes as a "perky, off-key song" about nearing adulthood and thinking for yourself.

在該視頻中，三名女孩在慶祝她們的18歲生日，其中有兩人不打算行使自己的選舉權。第三名女孩提醒另外兩人說，沒有什麼事情比表達自己的意願更重要。在視頻的結尾處，正如《日本時報》所形容的那樣，播放了一首“活潑、跑調”的歌曲，預示着主人公快要成年了，要爲自己而思考。

Another city opted for a manga flier in which the local mascot tells 18-year-olds that politicians will have to listen to their opinions if they vote.

另外一個日本城市則選擇了發放漫畫宣傳單的方法。在宣傳單上，當地的吉祥物向18歲大小的年輕人們講述，如果他們參與選舉的話，政治家們將不得不聽取他們的意見。

Political parties are getting in on the act too, issuing manga pamphlets and posters in advance of the election.

此外，一些政治團體也在着手採取類似的措施，他們會在選舉前發放漫畫小冊子和海報。

Lowering the voting age to 18 added an estimated 2.4 million voters to the Japanese electorate, but the legal age for several other activities has been kept at 20, including drinking and smoking.

據估計，將選舉人年齡限制從20歲降低到18歲這一措施使得日本的選民數量增加了240萬人，但是對於吸菸和飲酒等其他幾項活動來說，法定限制年齡仍然是20歲。