Costs of running for office in Japan is among the highest in the world
Yuzuru Kamoda legal team member of Saitama Bar Association attends a news conference at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan on July 31, 2017, Tokyo, Japan. Utsumoniya and Kamoda said that the deposit required to run as a candidate in the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election was 600,000 yen, making the price of admission to Japanese politics is among the highest in the world. They are arguing that the system of high deposits is unconstitutional, making it hard for small and independent candidates to run and challenge the current status quo. (Photo by Rodrigo Reyes Marin/AFLO)