A Japanese court has ruled ballots in a 2025 election that referred to a candidate by his family's business can't be clearly connected enough to him to count, highlighting the challenges of requiring written ballots. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/09/04/japan/politics/manju-shop-ruling/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #ibaraki #votedisparity #japanesecourts