When I watched the classic 1957 U.S. courtroom drama film “12 Angry Men” for the first time, I felt the title did not match the content.

This was a story about a jury of 12 men heatedly deliberating a murder case.

But my impression was that only 11 of them were angry and frustrated as they kept trying to jump to conclusions, while the protagonist, played by Henry Fonda, was initially the sole voice of reason who calmly and rationally argued for the possibility of the defendant’s innocence.

Did I misunderstand the film, or what?

In the April 28 Lower House by-election in the Tokyo No. 15 district, multiple campaign teams reported being subjected to election obstruction.

In one case, the candidate’s speech was drowned out by insults shouted into a loudspeaker. In another, a candidate’s campaign car was chased by a rival candidate’s car.

Those obstructive behaviors took advantage of the rules of a free election and some people insist they should be outlawed through legal revision.

Any act that threatens the safety of candidates must not be tolerated and the same goes for abusive language. These actions make me feel quite uneasy as if our precious election system is being crassly defiled by deplorable conduct.

However, it is difficult to determine exactly how far freedom for election campaigns should go.

There was an anomalous case in Hokkaido where police physically removed citizens who heckled a politician during a campaign stump speech.

Should election campaigns come under excessive restrictions, democracy itself will lose its sparkle.

To go back to my initial reaction to “12 Angry Men,” the following is what I now think: The character played by Fonda was actually the most furious of them all, but he made a supreme effort to speak calmly.

I think he knew that the situation called for truly serious discussion, not an easy answer.

—The Asahi Shimbun, April 30

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.