Policy Speech: Ishiba’s Vision for Nation Remains Unclear

Editorial

14:59 JST, November 30, 2024

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s policy speech did not present a clear vision of the nation for which he is aiming.

Partly because Ishiba has stated he would follow the economic policies of the previous administration under former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, the speech focused more on explaining his political stance than on presenting his policies.

At the start of the policy speech in the plenary sessions of both the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors of the Diet, the prime minister said he would “create a practice of exchanging opinions frankly” and “spare no effort in cooperating with each other,” quoting a policy speech delivered by then Prime Minister Tanzan Ishibashi in 1957.

Ishiba went on to say, “I will listen carefully to the opinions of other parties and work sincerely and humbly to build a broad consensus.”

The prime minister referred to the type of democracy discussed by Ishibashi, but it is only natural that a prime minister should listen to the opinions of other parties. What is needed is for Ishiba to explain the vision and basic policies his government aims to achieve, and then debate with other parties whether or not to cooperate with it.

The prime minister has set out three issues — diplomacy and security, restoring Japan’s vitality, and public security and disaster prevention — as key policies.

In terms of diplomacy, it is good that Ishiba expressed his intention to hold frequent Japan-South Korea summit meetings, but the international community is not only made up of leaders who are as friendly toward Japan as South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol.

How will Ishiba respond if U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who places importance on bilateral dealings, asks Japan to take on a greater share of the defense burden? The prime minister will need to warn Chinese President Xi Jinping not to infringe on Japan’s sovereignty, while at the same time explaining the importance of a mutually beneficial relationship.

Can the prime minister, whose power base is weak and who is striving to stay in power, engage in top-level diplomacy through both hard-line and moderate approaches?

The prime minister has set up a committee within the Liberal Democratic Party to look into the idea of creating an Asian version of NATO (the North Atlantic Treaty Organization) — an initiative that should have been sealed away by Ishiba. This could lead to suspicion overseas that he is ignoring the realities of Asia and still intends to pursue an idea that has little chance of being realized.

In policy discussions with the opposition Democratic Party for the People, the ruling parties have agreed to raise the annual income threshold for income tax, known as the “¥1.03 million barrier.” However, the amount by which it will be raised and the measures to secure fiscal sources to cover the resulting loss in tax revenue have yet to be finalized.

Nevertheless, the prime minister expressed his intention to raise the barrier in his policy speech, likely because he wants to secure the cooperation of the DPFP to pass the supplementary budget proposal for fiscal 2024.

There are some opinions that constructive discussions can be expected at the Diet, where the ruling and opposition parties are evenly matched, as the ruling parties cannot push through bills and proposals using numerical strength.

However, if the minority ruling coalition, in its effort to maintain power, simply accepts the irresponsible assertions of the opposition parties without any financial backing, the harmful effects will be greater.

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Nov. 30, 2024)