New Year Press Conference

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on January 4th held the new year press conference at Prime Minister’s Official Residence, instead of Ise Jingu where the prime ministers have ordinarily been doing every year. Kishida postponed the annual new year visit to the shrine for conducting disaster management on the earthquake in Noto Peninsula. Kishida raised restoration of confidence to politics as the top issue of his administration this year.

In the new year press conference in 2023, Kishida focused on economy, having suffered from COVID-19 and the shortage of energy caused by Russia’s aggression to Ukraine. Listing up the achievements in the previous year, including enhancement of defense capability and transferring energy policy, Kishida hoped to put a period to the problems in Japanese economy and create a new basis for positive cycle. He also showed his willingness to tackle the issue of low birth rate.

 

Kishida administration entered this year with a bunch of unexpected problems. The slush fund scandal of the factions in Liberal Democratic Party kept on developing through the end of last year. The consecutive disasters, which are the great earthquake in Noto Peninsula and the plane crush in Haneda Airport, put the government a kind of state of emergency at the beginning of this year. In the press conference, Kishida emphasized the importance of restoring the confidence on politics, while defining this year as determining next ten years.

 

Kishida apologized about current scandals of LDP factions, to which many people may embrace fundamental doubt on LDP politics. He promised to establish Political Reform Headquarters in LDP, under the direct supervision of him as the president, which will discuss on the transparency of political funds and make new rules for activities of the factions. The headquarters will issue an interim report on the reform and make effort to submit new draft of law if necessary.

 

On economy, Kishida took this year as a chance for Japanese economy from the cost-cut type of tendency to a positive cycle of wage increase and growth. His strategy is to raise the wage of medical workers, which occupies 14% of all workers, and back up small and mid-size businesses with reform of tax system. He did not forget appealing ¥3 trillion of tax reduction in June, which he announced last October.

 

Kishida also stressed that the government would increase the spendings for a child as much as Sweden does, and enhance the relationship with partners through the frameworks such as Japan-United States-Republic of Korea, or Japan-US-Australia-India, as well as reaching the nations of Global South through Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting in Japan, ASEAN Summit or Group of Twenty Summit.

 

However, Kishida’s new year resolution was not accompanied by credibility. There is a firm opposition in LDP to tighten the regulation for reporting on the political funds. Kishida did not answered clearly on the question in the press conference, saying that it would be something related to personal activities of politicians. He reiterates that he will figure out the solution on the issues which cannot be postponed. Money scandal must be the top issue which cannot be postponed.

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