Four Rebels May Bring Serious Consequence

The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) announced punishment on four lawmakers who abstained in the voting for the bill for consumption tax cut in the House of Representatives. The penalty was reprimand for them, which was the second lightest in eight categories. While four lawmakers had firm confidence for their decision, Prime Minister and LDP President Sanae Takaichi did not want the issue to be a major problem, because their disobedience reflected fundamental split in the party.

Four lawmakers are former Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, former Director General of Economic Planning Agency Hajime Funada, deputy chairs of LDP Research Commission on Tax System Yuko Obuchi and Yoshihisa Furukawa. They walked out from Lower House plenary sittings on November 6th when it had voting on consumption tax cut bill to show their opposition. Obuchi and Furukawa resigned as deputy chairs of the tax commission after their abstaining.


LDP Secretary General Shun-ichi Suzuki announced on November 9th the Party’s decision to reprimand them. “It was unexplainable for them to be absent at the voting, because we discussed this bill for a sufficient period of time,” said Suzuki in his press conference on November 9th, three days after their walking out. Takaichi seems to have preferred an early conclusion.


However, the penalty was unusual in two ways. First, it was too short to examine how the protest was serious and too light for a rebel against Takaichi’s one of the most important agenda, the consumption tax cut. Since the LDP does not have a majority in the Upper House, the most important thing for Takaichi was to avoid the same activity in the Upper House. The penalty must be a preventive measure. But it was so light for the LDP as a punishment that some Upper House lawmakers may follow the same course as those four.


Another was too heavy for Ishiba. There were some examples for former prime minister to vote against LDP’s decision. Former prime minister Yasuhiro Nakasone voted against Tomiichi Murayama for the nomination of the prime minister in 1994. Murayama was the chairman of Japan Socialist Party when the LDP formed the leading coalition with the socialists. Jun-ichiro Koizumi abstained his voting on a subsidy in 2009, which was submitted by Taro Aso Cabinet. Nakasone and Koizumi were not punished by the LDP, respected as former prime ministers. Takaichi took a different measure to Ishiba who is still political opponent of her.


There is a common ground for those four rebels. They have been on the line of main conservatives in the LDP. Ishiba and Funada were affiliated with the faction led by former premier Noboru Takeshita as the freshmen. Obuchi is a daughter of Keizo Obuchi who was Chief Cabinet Secretary of Takeshita Cabinet. Furukawa was affiliated to Obuchi faction as a freshman.


Takeshita is known as the prime minister who introduced consumption tax against broad opposition from the people in 1989. Takaichi’s reduction of consumption tax for foods from 8 percent to 1 percent is something that makes Takeshita and other administration’s political effort in vain. Koizumi and his aid Shinzo Abe were taking different position from Takeshita group. Takaichi is on the side of Koizumi and Abe. This rift over consumption tax cut has a possibility of serious division, if some Upper House lawmakers take the same option as those four rebels.


Correction (Nov.11): LDP discharged Obuchi as Deputy Chairwoman of Research Commission on the Tax System on November 10th, as Furukawa stepped down the day before.

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