Kirk here with some thoughts about voting rights for noncitizen residents. In Japan, the number of localities that allow foreign residents to vote in plebiscites (public referenda, propositions, etc.) and/or local elections is small but growing. In my own country, New York City seems to have joined the club. (See URL at end of article.)

I wonder if something like this might not come to pass someday in Kumamoto. The non-Japanese community is small enough as to not be very threatening. On the other hand, Kumamoto seems to be rather conservative in comparison to Tokyo and the other communities that are allowing non-Japanese residents to vote. šŸ¤”

https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14481165

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/09/nyregion/noncitizens-voting-rights-nyc.html