Campaign Policies: Economy

Economy is the top issue in the general election of House of Representatives this month. In a poll conducted by TV Asahi in early October, 63 percent, with two choices out of nine allowed, answered that economy would be the most important issue in their voting、leaving pension system with 44 percent or education with 37 percent behind. The parties compete how they would support households suffering from steep price hike of goods and services which are indispensable for their life.

In his first campaign speech in Iwaki city, Fukushima, on October 15, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba revealed his plan to submit supplementary budget to the Diet this fall, which total amount would exceed 13 trillion yen of the one last fall. It will be spent for allowances to the low-income families, support for agriculture or fisheries, and subsidy for chip industries. Secretary General of the Liberal Democratic Party, Hiroshi Moriyama, stressed that his party would focus on building infrastructure.

 

The allowance is included in the campaign policies of the LDP. The party also proposes expanding budget for local governments which are exercising financial support for families, such as relief for school lunches. Its coalition partner, Komeito, demands extension of subsidy for gasoline, electricity and gas, which would be planned to be finished this yearend. The LDP is considering it.

 

The leader of Constitutional Democratic Party, Yoshihiko Noda, focuses on middleclass.  Upholding “revitalization of middle class” at the center of economic policy, the CDP aims at raising wage of workers, including 1,500 yen or higher minimum wage in average. However, the economic policy of Noda who is positioning himself at the center-right makes any big difference from LDP’s economic policy.

 

Other opposition parties firmly demand lowering the rate of consumption tax. Japan Innovation Party (Nippon Ishin-no Kai) asserts cutting the consumption tax rate from 10 percent to 8. Democratic Party for the People proposes 5 percent. Japan Communist Party sets it at 5 percent as a temporary rate toward abolishment. As a former Minister of Finance, Noda never says to lower or abolish the consumption tax.

 

Measures dealing with declining birthrate is discussed in the context of economic policy. Every party embraces policies for supporting families with children.

 

The LDP proposes support for higher education, as Komeito set a goal of making college tuition free in 2030s. The CDP promises free lunch in public elementary and mid-schools, and free tuition of public universities. The JCP proposes halving college tuition, and Ishin requires free tuition for every grade in education.

 

How are they going to procure for those supports? The LDP basically relies on economic growth in the future, which is guaranteed by nobody. The opposition parties hope to redistribute wealth from major corporation to families with low income. No party has a viable plan to redeem accumulated deficit of the government, which has exceeded 1,000 trillion yen.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Amendment of Local Autonomy Law

The House of Representatives started discussion on revision of the Local Autonomy Law, which would vest the national government a power to instruct local government in an emergency. It may change the relationship between the national and local government, which has been recognized as equal. The opposition parties oppose the amendment, arguing that it would give the national government an excessive power.   With the Meiji Restoration, the national government abolished the feudal system, introducing modern governance. However, its autonomy was not sufficient. The governor of each prefecture was appointed by the national government. The local governments subordinated to the national government. It was as late as 2000 when  the Comprehensive Decentralization Law  was enacted and the relationship between the national and local government was defined as equal.   The national government found inconvenience in the relationship between the national and local government, when COVID-19 was preval
Read more

Request for Final Nuclear Disposal Site

Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry requested Genkai Town, Saga, to accept “literature survey” for building a final disposal site for high-level radioactive waste. Genkai is going to answer within this month. If it accepts, it will be the third place to accept that survey, following two places in Hokkaido. Main reason to accept the survey is supposed to be subsidy from the national government.   Japan has no final disposal site. Among all 54 reactors in 17 nuclear power generation plant, 12 reactors of 6 plants are operating. The rest of them are not in operation, some of which are determined to be decommissioned. Used nuclear fuels are stocked in each plant, 　 or have sent to a reprocessing plant in Rokkasho, Aomori. There are two plans to stock nuclear wastes in the intermediate facility for disposal, one is already built and another is still in negotiation.   Nuclear Fuel Final Disposal Act in 2000 determines to bury nuclear waste in the underground. Literature survey, which is
Read more

Death Penalty Demanded on Criminal of Arson

On the historically brutal case of arson, the public prosecutors demanded an ultimate penalty to the offender. In the trial on the arson and murder in Kyoto Animation in 2019, the prosecutors requested death penalty on the defendant, Shinji Aoba. The lawyers of Aoba argued that the court should avoid sentencing death penalty. The judgement will be passed next January. Aoba was indicted as putting fire after pouring gasoline in the building of Kyoto Animation (Kyoani), a studio producing animation works, and killed 36 staffs and injured 32 on July 18 th , 2019. In the trial, Aoba argued that he could not tolerate Kyoani, because it had stolen his novel story in its works. Aoba later apologized to the victim’s families that he had done too much and regretted it.   In the closing argument in Kyoto Regional Court, the prosecutors demanded death penalty for Aoba, because the number of victims were extremely high in the history of criminal trials in Japan. “It is hard to describe about how t
Read more