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TOKYO—So much for rebellious youth: Japan’s young people largely voted Sunday for the status quo.
Japanese in their teens and 20s backed Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s ruling coalition in Sunday’s parliamentary voting, according to exit polls, a sign that Mr. Abe’s hawkish security policy and the improved job market were well-received.
The election...
TOKYO—So much for rebellious youth: Japan’s young people largely voted Sunday for the status quo.
Japanese in their teens and 20s backed Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s ruling coalition in Sunday’s parliamentary voting, according to exit polls, a sign that Mr. Abe’s hawkish security policy and the improved job market were well-received.
The election was the first time 18- and 19-year-olds could vote in a national election after a 2015 legal change, and the first time since December 2014 that the nation had a chance to express its feelings on Mr. Abe’s “Abenomics” economic package. Mr. Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party and a smaller coalition ally together won 70 of the 121 seats up for grabs in parliament’s upper house.
Japanese politicians and the government are using cartoons, videos and other promotions to appeal to young people who will vote for the first time in the July elections. Photo: Komeito The Wall Street Journal Interactive Edition
According to an election-day survey of 75,000 voters by Kyodo News, 40% of 18- and 19-year-olds voted for the generally conservative LDP, and the two coalition parties collectively won just over half the vote. More than 40% of people in their 20s and 30s voted for the LDP, while support for the party was below 40% for ages 40 and above, Kyodo said.
Other large surveys by Japanese media organizations reported similar results, which contrast with the liberal or radical leanings of young voters in the U.S. and some other developed nations.
According to a survey by national broadcaster NHK, 64% of teens rated Abenomics very highly or somewhat highly, compared with 56% overall.
“The 18- and 19-year-olds who were able to vote this time felt the striking improvement in new graduate hiring, and it looks like there was big support for Abenomics,” said Société Générale economist Takuji Aida. “The opposition parties weren’t able to propose an effective alternative economic-revitalization package to Abenomics.”
The job placement rate for four-year university students graduating in March was 97.3%, according to the education ministry, the highest since the survey started in 1997. The rate was 97.7% for high-school students, the highest since 1992.
In May, there were 136 jobs for every 100 applicants, according to government data, the best ratio in nearly a quarter-century—a number Mr. Abe constantly cited in his campaign stump speeches. That contrasts with other figures that show the economy is barely growing and consumer spending is weak.
The coalition parties combined with smaller parties and independents that favor a revision to the constitution now control more than two-thirds of both houses of parliament. That gives Mr. Abe a freer hand to move ahead with changes that could cement the role of Japan’s military in the constitution, although tough negotiations await.
Economists and political scientists say Japan’s youth are more conservative than older generations after growing up in years of economic turmoil. Several young voters interviewed Sunday expressed a willingness to see the constitution revised, a step that could strengthen Japan’s military alliance with the U.S. while raising concerns in China and South Korea.
“Japan needs collective self-defense. How could Japan defend itself without the U.S.?” said Koki Mikasa, an 18-year-old student who voted for a conservative party that favors constitutional revision.
“ I voted for LDP. It is safe. ”
“I voted for LDP. It is safe,” said Akiko Shimotori, a 28-year-old IT industry worker who praised the prime minister’s performance during a recent summit of industrialized nations in Japan. “Under Mr. Abe, Japan will not look embarrassing.”
According to the Kyodo survey, 47% of voting teens were in favor of changing the constitution as well as 48% of those in their 20s. For the overall electorate, only 40% were in favor. A constitutional amendment would require two-thirds approval from both houses of parliament, followed by majority approval in a national referendum.
Turnout for teens was 45.5%, according to Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications data released Monday night, compared with overall turnout of 54.7%.
Write to Eleanor Warnock at eleanor.warnock@wsj.com