Retreat from Former Policy Lines

The House of Representatives had debate on Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s policy speech in the Plenary Session on October 7. To the questions from the opposition parties about how Ishiba would implement his policy announced in the presidential election of the Liberal Democratic Party in September, Ishiba kept defendant position, retreating from the line he had drawn. As the result, Ishiba did not look ambitious in implementing his policies he once upheld.

Although Ishiba suggested in LDP presidential campaign that he, as the prime minister, would make sufficient discussion enough for the voters to get information about who they should vote for. However, the debate at the Plenary Session on both Houses, on October 7 and 8, will only be the opportunity for the opposition parties to ask how Ishiba would be able to achieve his goals, except the Question Time on October 9 where the party leaders make debate for eighty minutes.

 

In the Plenary Session of the Lower House, former Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, who was elected leader of the Constitutional Democratic Party, asked Ishiba that Ishiba’s idea of establishing Asian NATO must be unrealistic, because it needs constitutional amendment to allow exercising collective self-defense right. Ishiba answered that he did not think that idea would be implemented soon.

 

Harumi Yoshida, one of the candidates in CDP’s leader’s election, urged Ishiba to introduce selective separate surnames, quoting Ishiba’s comment in LDP presidential election that he could not understand the reason of denying it. “The government needs further discussion on it, based on various argument among the nationals and in the Diet,” said Ishiba, giving no hint for legislative action for it.

 

Although Ishiba was willing to introduce higher tax rate on financial income, he has not showed any action to introduce it after the presidential election. “It is important for us to promote the shift from saving to investment, and I am not considering about immediately raising the tax rate,” said Ishiba.

 

Ishiba had also been negative on introducing new health insurance card integrated to My Number Card, because of possible confusion among aged people who would most need the card in their ordinary life. But he announced that the new card will be introduced as the government formerly decided and current cards would be abolished in December this year.

 

Ministers in Ishiba Cabinet did not show their own views beyond Ishiba’s policy line. Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications, Seiichiro Murakami, who had been negative on economic policy of former Shinzo Abe administration, approved Abenomics as evaluated to have create a situation of non-deflation, raised GDP and expanded hirings. It reflected Ishiba’s stance to succeed economic policy of previous administrations.

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