Leaders Debate for Election

The leaders of seven parties had a comprehensive policy debate for general election of the House of Representatives at Japan Press Club on October 12th. To the questions from the opposition leaders on the slush fund scandal, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, the president of Liberal Democratic Party, emphasized his effort to restore public confidence on politics. However, the opposition parties did not show a sense of cooperation, to pull the leading coalition out of the administration.

 

The most interested issue during the debate was nuclear weapons, because Nihon Hidankyo was selected for Nobel Peace Prize in 2024 the day before. Commonly labeled as the only country in the world which had suffered from nuclear weapons in a war, Japan has not joined the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Some opposition party leaders urged Japanese government to ratify it or at least participate in the treaty as an observer.

 

The head of Constitutional Democratic Party Yoshihiko Noda accused Ishiba of his advocacy for nuclear sharing with the United States. In his essay for Hudson Institute in September, Ishiba proposed Asian NATO. “The Asian version of NATO must also specifically consider America’s sharing of nuclear weapons or the introduction of nuclear weapons in the region,” argued Ishiba in the essay.

 

Ishiba explained that the world without nuclear weapons should be the ultimate goal, but there would be various ways to approach it. He insisted that there was something called nuclear deterrence. He argued that the Budapest Memorandum, in which Ukraine abandoned nuclear weapons, caused aggression of Russia into Ukraine.

 

“I was extremely angry. I would tell him to think more, if he acknowledges horror of nuclear weapon,” told Terumi Tanaka, one of the leaders of Nihon Hidankyo, told in his press conference about Ishiba’s reference to nuclear sharing.

 

On political reform, Ishiba showed reluctancy in not using the policy activities fund with no mandate of disclosure in the election, in spite of arguments for abolition even in the LDP. The chief representative of Komeito explained that the party would issue recommendation for some LDP candidates who had failed in reporting kickback fund, because the local organizations of the party decided it.

 

On economy, Ishiba insisted on getting rid of deflation, while consumer’s price hike already damaging households. He promised to take care of his speech on monetary policy, concerning his comment on interest rate of the Bank of Japan had affected foreign exchange. He regretted Abenomics which had invited cost-cut type of businesses.

 

Ishiba kept his line of his controversial policies. Citing his memory of losing sovereignty of Japan in the falling of U.S. Marine helicopter in a university in Okinawa, Ishiba showed his determination for revising Japan-U.S. status of forces agreement. He also stressed that Japan has no obligation to defend U.S. under Japan-U.S. Security Treaty, to which Japan does not have to feel inferior. 

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