Abstract
This article explore the effects of the media on political knowledge, attitudes, and voting behavior of the Japanese electorate based on the nationwide sample survey data gathered during the House of Representatives election in 2009. The results of the analysis revealed; first, several TV programs and personal networks promote political knowledge, however, the effects of newspaper readership and using the Internet are limited. Second, the effects of the media on evaluation of the Cabinet's performance and feelings toward party leaders are substantial; however, they exert little influence on perception of the economy and issue attitudes. Third, there are almost no effects of the media on voting behavior except for the effects of watching specific TV programs. The processes by which the media exert the influence on voter attitudes are discussed.
