Japan Lowers Voting Age From 20 to 18

Japan has officially lowered its voting age from 20 to 18.

The change could add 2.4 million people to the country’s existing pool of 104 million eligible voters, the Wall Street Journal reports.

The country last changed its voting age in 1945, the year Japanese women gained the right to vote, when it lowered the requirement from 25 to 20.

Across the world, 90% of nations have a voting age of 18, though Japan’s voters are not particularly active: less than a third of 20-somethings voted in last year’s general election.

With 26% of the country over the age of 65, Japan has the world’s fastest-aging population.

[Wall Street Journal]