選挙ポスター掲示板を他の用途に転用して稼ぐのは、イノベーションか
選挙ポスター掲示板を私的な広告に使うという発想は、「新結合」という観点で見るとイノベーションを思わせる。
イノベーション（英: innovation）とは、物事の「新機軸」「新結合」「新しい切り口」「新しい捉え方」「新しい活用法」（を創造する行為）のこと。一般には新しい技術の発明を指すという意味に認識されることが多いが、それだけでなく新しいアイデアから社会的意義のある新たな価値を創造し、社会的に大きな変化をもたらす自律的な人・組織・社会の幅広い変革を意味する。つまり、それまでのモノ・仕組みなどに対して全く新しい技術や考え方を取り入れて新たな価値を生み出して社会的に大きな変化を起こすことを指す。
しかしそれは公共財の営利目的利用であり、東京都知事選挙であれば東京都民の払う税金の詐取に該当するだろう。ただしそれを取り締まる法律はないが。
ヨーロッパ諸国を見ると、公費でポスター掲示場を設置する国は多くありません。一部ベルギー、フランス、イタリアなどでは見かけますが、日本ほどの数は確保していないと思います。
選挙活動の規制がゆるい国では、候補者が独自に街の各所にポスターを掲示する様子が見られます。候補者の資金力や組織力で差が出るということです。日本の候補者は、平等に多くの有権者の目にとまる掲示枠が与えられます。
行政の責任で各世帯に届けられる選挙公報については、世界的に見てもかなり珍しい独特の制度だと言えます。
日本の社会規範、暗黙の了解の中で「選挙以外の目的で選挙公営制度を利用しない」ことが維持されてきました。
前に書いた記事で、「江川事件」について触れた。この事件が起きた１９７８年当時に、選挙ポスター掲示板で一儲けしようと思う人はいなかっただろう。仮にそう思っても、実現する手段が無かった。
今はインターネットで、選挙ポスター掲示板の使用権を売る広告が簡単にできる（７月５日現在、「あなたのオリジナルポスター２４枚を貼ってみませんか？」と宣伝する政党のサイトがある）。
選挙ポスター掲示板の「広告枠」を買い取ってポスターを貼った後、後悔して剥がす人もいる。
ほとんどインターネットで買い物をするのと同じような感覚で、簡単に「権利」を購入できたのだろう。
やはり、こんなのはイノベーションとは呼べまい。
本来のイノベーションとは、例えばこのような事例を言うのだろう。
１９４７年ごろ、当時は高級品だったすしを手軽に楽しんでもらおうと、当時から鉄工所や工場が集積していた大阪府布施市（現在の東大阪市）に立ち食いずし店を開いた。１皿４貫で２０円と他店より３割ほど安く販売すると、労働者や学生の人気を集め店は大繁盛。人手不足に悩んでいた。
対応策を考えていると、大きなヒントが目の前に現れた。地元の料飲組合で視察に訪れたビール工場で、ベルトコンベヤーの上をビール瓶が次々と流れていく。「すしもコンベヤーで客の手元まで運べないだろうか」。回転ずしのアイデアが生まれた瞬間だ。
周囲の工場に開発を持ちかけたが相手にされない。ならば自分で作ろうと、店の近くに場所を借り「実験室」と呼ぶ工作所を設けた。閉店後、来る日も来る日もベニヤ板を削って試行錯誤した。素材選びやカーブの付け方で何度も失敗したという。常連客には町工場で働く技術者も多く、よく相談を持ち掛けた。
９年かけてすしコンベヤーを完成させ、１９５８年に「廻る元禄寿司」を開店。面白がって見に来た子どもが親を連れて来店し、ファミリー層に利用が広がった。当時はすしのほかビールやお茶も回していた。「安い、うまい」に「おもろい」が加わり、立ち食いずしの時より繁盛したという。
寿司とベルトコンベヤーを結び付けるとは、ほとんど誰も思いつかなかったろう。それに９年という年月を、開発に費やした情熱もすごい。
タイトル写真は、Wikipedia「回転寿司」より引用
Is it innovation to repurpose election poster boards for other purposes?
The idea of using election poster boards for personal advertising seems innovative from the perspective of "new combinations."
Innovation refers to the act of creating new ideas, new combinations, new perspectives, new ways of thinking, and new ways of using things. In general, it is often understood to mean the invention of new technology, but it also refers to the creation of new, socially significant value from new ideas, and the broad transformation of autonomous people, organizations, and society that brings about major social change. In other words, it refers to the introduction of completely new technologies and ways of thinking into existing things and systems, creating new value and bringing about major social change.
However, this would be a profit-making use of public property, and in the case of the Tokyo gubernatorial election, it would be considered fraudulent use of taxes paid by Tokyo residents. However, there is no law prohibiting this.
Looking at European countries, not many countries set up poster display areas at public expense. You can see them in some countries, such as Belgium, France, and Italy, but I don't think they have the same number as Japan. In countries with looser restrictions on election activities, you can see candidates putting up posters around town on their own. This means that the difference lies in the financial and organizational strength of the candidate. In Japan, candidates are equally given space to display posters that will catch the eye of many voters. The election bulletins, which are delivered to each household under the responsibility of the government, are a unique system that is quite rare even when viewed globally. It has been maintained as a social norm and tacit understanding in Japan that "the public election system should not be used for purposes other than elections."
In a previous article, I mentioned the "Egawa Incident." When this incident occurred in 1978, there probably wasn't anyone who thought they could make a buck off election poster bulletin boards. Even if they had thought that, there was no way to make it happen. Nowadays, the Internet makes it easy to advertise for the sale of rights to use election poster bulletin boards (as of July 5th, there is a political party website that advertises, "Would you like to put up 24 of your own original posters?").
Some people buy "advertising space" on election poster bulletin boards, put up posters, then regret it and take them down.
It seems that people were able to purchase the "rights" as easily as they would shop online.
Surely, this cannot be called innovation.
An example like this would be what we would call true innovation.
Around 1947, he opened a stand-up sushi restaurant in Fuse City, Osaka Prefecture (now Higashiosaka City), where ironworks and factories were concentrated at the time, so that people could easily enjoy sushi, which was a luxury item at the time. He sold sushi for 20 yen per plate, about 30% cheaper than other restaurants, and it became popular with workers and students, and the restaurant was very popular. He was suffering from a labor shortage. While he was thinking of a solution, a big hint appeared before his eyes. He visited a beer factory on an inspection tour with the local food and beverage association, and beer bottles were flowing one after another on a conveyer belt. "Can't sushi be delivered to customers on a conveyer belt?" This was the moment when the idea for conveyor belt sushi was born. He approached the surrounding factories about the development, but they ignored him. So he decided to make it himself, rented a place near the restaurant and set up a workshop he called a "laboratory." After closing the restaurant, he spent every day trying and erroring by cutting plywood. He says he failed many times in choosing the material and how to create the curves. Many of his regular customers were engineers working in local factories, and he often came to them for advice. It took nine years to complete the sushi conveyor, and in 1958, "Mawaru Genroku Sushi" was opened. Children who came to see it out of curiosity would bring their parents, and the restaurant began to attract families. At the time, in addition to sushi, beer and tea were also being conveyed. With the addition of "interesting" to the "cheap and delicious" concept, the restaurant became more popular than when it was a stand-up sushi restaurant.
Almost no one would have thought of combining sushi with a conveyor belt. And it's amazing how much passion went into developing it over the course of nine years.
The title photo is taken from Wikipedia, "Conveyor belt sushi."
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