Yokohama Mayoral Election: Nijisanji VTubers as Awareness Characters Stir Debate
With the official announcement of the Yokohama mayoral election approaching on July 20, the Yokohama City Election Commission's appointment of Yashiro Kizuku and Kaisei, members of the popular virtual liver group 'Nijisanji,' as public awareness characters has become a significant topic. This unusual initiative is seen as an effort to boost voter turnout, especially among younger generations, but it has sparked mixed reactions on social media. From July 3rd, the Election Commission plans to encourage voter participation through various promotional materials for the mayoral election, alongside campaigns for the House of Councillors election. Slogans like "I'm definitely gonna vote!" (ぜってぇ投票してやるからな！) are being used on posters and other materials, and many express hope for its effectiveness, with comments such as "This could be a trigger for young people to go vote" and "It will likely resonate more than being told by unfamiliar adults on social me...