Compromises Seen in Campaign Platform

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba started making party platform with the policy team of his Liberal Democratic Party for coming general election of the House of Representatives voted on October 27. To appeal the voters political reform of the party, the draft of platform insisted on “reborn” of the LDP abiding by the rules. The opposition parties criticized Ishiba’s compromise with the protesters in the LDP by setting higher targets on political reform in their own platforms.

Ishiba reportedly abandoned excluding the lawmakers who were involved in the slush fund scandal from official endorsement as LDP candidates in the general election. LDP had imposed penalties on those lawmakers in April, which included stripping the endorsement in the election. If Ishiba excludes some lawmakers who already received punishment from party endorsement, it may be imposing double penalties on them.

 

Although some candidates in LDP presidential election proposed complete abolishment of the policy activities fund, which is given to party leaders with no requirement of disclosure, the draft of platform raised higher transparency of the fund. On allowance to each lawmaker for research, study, public relations and accommodation, the platform would require disclosure of purpose of spendings and returning surplus back to the national budget.

 

On internal policies supporting people’s ordinary life, Ishiba LDP is going to introduce allowance for low-income families, distinguishing from the economic policy by former Premier Shinzo Abe, or Abenomics, which had definitely been focusing on economic growth. Ishiba will increase subsidy for local governments to support school lunch. Although Ishiba announced that he would succeed economic policy of Fumio Kishida administration, news media began to use the word of “Ishibanomics,” which would also include higher interest rate policy.

 

Ishiba must have been selling himself as an expert of security policies, proposing his unique idea. However, the platform will not include “Asian NATO,” because it was too unrealistic for an immediate prescription on instability in Asia-Pacific region. Revision of Japan-U.S. status of forces agreement was degraded to a target “making it as it should be.” It emphasized that contingence in Taiwan would be a realistic problem that Japan faces.

 

The Constitutional Democratic Party raised regaining confidence on politics as its top issue in their platform. It insisted on total ban on political donation from any company and organization, which LDP has been fundamentally opposing. The CDP also included regulation on heredity of seat as member of the Diet, which is outstanding in the LDP.

 

Japan Innovation Party, or Nippon Ishin-no Kai, also upheld abolishing corporate and organizational donation and hereditary regulation, as well as a populist presentation of reducing consumption tax by two percent. There seems no approach among the opposition parties to integrate their campaign policies to compete with the LDP.