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In light of the deteriorating security environment and the frequent occurrence of disasters, it was timely that Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba placed “protection” of Japan and its people as the pillar of his policy speech. The question now is whether he will be able to produce results in the future.
Ishiba delivered his first policy speech at plenary sessions of both the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors.
At the beginning of his speech, Ishiba expressed “deep regret,” saying that the Liberal Democratic Party’s violation of the Political Funds Control Law had “caused the public to lose trust in politics.” The prime minister also said that he will “face and seek repentance from” lawmakers who failed to properly enter necessary information in their political funds reports.
A policy speech is an opportunity for a prime minister himself to explain his administration’s key policies and how they will be implemented. The fact that Ishiba discussed the political funds scandal at the start of his speech shows the very tough situation that the LDP has been driven into.
With the House of Representatives election set for Oct. 27, and official campaigning to begin with candidacy registration on Oct. 15, LDP executives are coordinating a course for the party to allow punished members to run for election on the party ticket, on the conditions that they submit a written pledge to prevent a recurrence and that local organizations submit requests to have them run.
Trust in the LDP has been lost due to the “politics and money” scandal. In April, the party’s executives suspended from party posts or reprimanded 39 members, mainly of the former Abe faction. Voters should give their evaluation of those measures through the election.
There are mountains of domestic and foreign policy issues that need to be addressed. The prime minister has put diplomacy and security at the top of his priority policies. He emphasized that he aims to achieve peace and stability by increasing the number of friendly and like-minded countries while maintaining the Japan-U.S. alliance as the centerpiece.
Ishiba also said that “the very foundation of our defense capabilities are the Self-Defense Forces personnel,” and expressed his desire to improve their treatment. He said that he would establish a council of related ministers, with himself as the head, to discuss specific measures.
The number of SDF personnel recruited last year was just under 10,000, compared to the recruitment plan of just under 20,000. The recruitment rate for the plan was a record low of 51%.
Even if the defense budget is increased and the latest equipment is introduced, it will be meaningless if there are no personnel to operate it. It is understandable that Ishiba considers this as an issue.
The prime minister did not mention his original concepts, such as the creation of an Asian version of North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Ishiba likely put idealistic ideas aside for the time being and prioritized practical measures.
The prime minister also reiterated his intention to set up a disaster management agency by strengthening the functions of the Cabinet Office’s section in charge of disaster management.
The creation of a new agency does not mean problems will be solved. In recent years, the Digital Agency and the Children and Families Agency have also been established, and the bloating of government ministries and agencies has been pointed out. Isn’t it more urgent to discuss how to create a mechanism that can implement comprehensive measures, rather than rushing to establish a disaster management agency?
