This partially modified image provided by Studio Diva shows photographer Naoya Yamaguchi during a photoshoot to take portraits for election posters.

       TOKYO -- With Japan's House of Representatives dissolved and the general election nearing, candidates have been preparing election campaign posters, which are said to play an important role in appealing to voters, sometimes even holding sway over the outcome of campaigns. The Mainichi Shimbun approached those working with candidates to find out how these posters are created.

       "There are surprisingly many people who say that they chose who to vote for based on their campaign posters. It's not something to be belittled," said a female incumbent lawmaker from Niigata Prefecture who plans to run in the upcoming lower house election on Oct. 31.

       Though she has been elected more than once, the lawmaker said that the task of creating posters was a headache each election, and that she continuously held meetings from August, while working out an image and taking photos at the studio. She said that she tried to put on a natural facial expression, aiming to make a favorable impression on everyone who saw it, from old to young, like picking "the greatest common denominator."

       Due to the coronavirus pandemic, there have been fewer opportunities for candidates and voters to meet face-to-face in large gatherings and on other occasions, and it's predicted that campaign posters will play an increasingly significant role now more than ever.

       Election posters also have the aspect of projecting the nature of society at the time. For example, immediately after the March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, Naoya Yamaguchi, of Tokyo-based Studio Diva, who was commissioned to take photos for election posters, recalled receiving numerous orders to have photos taken "with a serious expression" as smiles would appear "imprudent."

       Yutaka Matsuo, director in charge of election posters, is seen giving instructions to a designer, front, in the city of Niigata's Konan Ward on Oct. 6, 2021. (Mainichi/Honoka Uchida)

       Yamaguchi recently began to receive requests to create a "strong gaze" and an image that gives the impression of good communication skills, considering that a lack of communication skills was one reason given for the decline in the support rate for former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.

       Moves to go for a photogenic look have been seen in election posters as well, in line with recent trends of achieving "Insta-bae," or Instagrammable photos.

       "About 80% of male candidates have a tendency to want to take photos like (lower house member) Shinjiro Koizumi," said Jun Takumi, 56, of Takumi Jun Make-up Salon, a photo studio based in Tokyo. While eccentric poses have been on the decline in recent years, he said that the greater the number of candidates in an election, the higher the tendency to "take an all-or-nothing approach by adopting bizarre ideas."

       Candidates are conscious of taking photogenic images with the purpose of making a good impression on voters. Digital image processing has been used in the past to remove wrinkles and adjust the complexion of the face and color of the teeth. According to related parties, photos are also processed to increase the amount of hair near the hairline as well as make the jawline sharper, as candidates claim they will lose weight as they give stump speeches during the election campaign period.

       However, there have also been views that excessive processing has the opposite effect on young people who are well-informed about photoshopping, and a return to natural, unaltered photos has begun as of late. The female lawmaker who plans to run in the upcoming lower house election also said, "I'd rather have voters see my appearance as it really is, even if my hair is sticking up a bit."

       Agency directors involved in the overall creation of election posters also play an important role, by incorporating images and messages that the candidates wish to send to voters, among other tasks.

       Professor Masahiko Asano is seen in this provided image.

       "A director's job is done when the client's name is written on the ballot," said Yutaka Matsuo, 64, of advertising agency Dola Inc., based in the city of Niigata. Matsuo has been in charge of posters, including those for national elections, for about 30 years.

       According to Matsuo, when creating posters, the candidate's "image color" is incorporated, while also considering the time of the election and the balance between the poster and the actual scenery. For example, in winter, cold colors that give off an icy air are avoided. As for the layout of the candidate's name, either their given name or surname is given more prominence depending on which leaves more of a lasting impression on voters in terms of sound.

       Election strategist Hiroshi Miura, 70, who was responsible for the election campaign of Niigata Gov. Hideyo Hanazumi three years ago, cites Mehrabian's Rule and says that the atmosphere of portraits is important. This rule deems that visual information accounts for 55% of the impression that someone has on another. It is crucial for election posters, too, to hide the candidate's weak points and to bring out their good features. Miura shared his strategy that "while it's not good to lie, there's no need to expose their weak points."

       Masahiko Asano, a comparative politics professor in Takushoku University's Faculty of Political Science and Economics, conducts research connected with predictions that candidates' looks influence who voters decide to vote for.

       Asano used the facial photos of 494 candidates who ran in the House of Councillors election in 2013 and 2016 to examine the relationship between visual appearance and percentage of votes cast for each candidate, and discovered that faces which were found attractive among more people also gathered a higher percentage of votes.

       In March 2020, the professor carried out a survey targeting some 3,000 voters who were selected through random sampling. He had the subjects look at a facial photo of a candidate who was known as being "handsome," and a facial photo of another candidate who was not, both of whom had run in the 2016 upper house race, and asked them which among the two they would like to get to know better. It was revealed that voters tended to want to get know more about the "handsome" candidate.

       Asano explained, "Rather than impressions related to the politician's attributes and ability, such as appearing trustworthy or competent, I learned that voters decide who to vote for based on the trivial aspect of a pretty face."

       Meanwhile, regarding the election posters created by candidates paying extra attention to their facial expressions, Asano said, "I suppose the reality is that the posters are being created following rules of thumb. We have yet to discover what kind of poster image would guarantee an absolute win based on scientific evidence."

       (Japanese original by Honoka Uchida, Niigata Bureau)

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