JEEADiS Releases Policy Proposal 2026 “Redesigning the Infrastructure of Digital Democracy: A Policy Proposal for Realizing Internet Voting in Japan”

Released on  15 February 2026  日本語のプレスリリース

JEEADiS Releases Policy Proposal 2026
“Redesigning the Infrastructure of Digital Democracy: 
A Policy Proposal for Realizing Internet Voting in Japan”
— A Phased, State-Responsibility Model Starting with Overseas Voters --
​

jeeadis-policy-proposal-2026-internet-voting-in-japan-en.pdf
File Size:	622 kb
File Type:	pdf

ファイルをダウンロードする

---

jeeadis-policy-proposal-2026-internet-voting-in-japan-en-summary.pdf
File Size:	109 kb
File Type:	pdf

ファイルをダウンロードする

---

The Japan & Estonia EU Association for Digital Society (JEEADiS) has released its latest policy proposal entitled:
“JEEADiS Policy Proposal 2026: Redesigning the Infrastructure of Digital Democracy
— A Policy Proposal for Realizing Internet Voting in Japan.”

This proposal aims to initiate legislative design during the 2027 Ordinary Session of the National Diet and presents a realistic, phased model for introducing Internet voting in Japan, grounded in the country’s legal framework, administrative structure, and public trust environment.

Background
While Japan’s electoral system has historically emphasized fairness and accuracy, it has not sufficiently adapted to changes in social structures and technological environments. Structural challenges have become increasingly apparent, including:

• Declining youth voter participation
• De facto restrictions on voting rights for Japanese citizens overseas
• Limited resilience of voting systems during disasters and pandemics
• Operational and fiscal constraints of paper-based elections
• Fragmented voter registry management across more than 1,700 municipalities
• Inconsistent voter identification standards at polling stations

This proposal positions Internet voting not as a matter of convenience, but as institutional reform to modernize democratic infrastructure.

Key Features of the Proposal

• Draws lessons from Estonia’s i-Voting system without direct transplantation
• Advocates a phased and limited introduction, beginning with overseas voters
• Establishes clear state responsibility for Internet voting systems
• Ensures institutional security through revoting mechanisms and paper ballot precedence
• Embeds end-to-end verifiability using modern cryptographic methods
• Proposes the National Electronic Electoral Roll Database (E-ERDB) as a logically integrated, state-level voter registry

International Significance
Beyond domestic reform, the proposal contributes to international discussions on digital democracy by sharing Japan’s approach to balancing trust, verifiability, and institutional responsibility in electoral system design. JEEADiS will continue its collaboration with Estonia and other international partners through workshops and technical exchanges.

The full proposal and executive summaries are available in both Japanese and English on the JEEADiS official website.

​Contact
All inquiries and media requests →  
Manabu Muta, Board Member & Lead Author  
Inquiry Form
​
Selected Annexes (illustrative)
Appendix 1: Architecture of Internet Voting in Japan (Overall Diagram)​

---

​Appendix 5: Visual Comparison of Electoral Roll Management (Estonia / Current Japan / Proposed Model)  

​Full proposal   ( Japanese PDF  |  English PDF )