Policy Speech: Does It Really Deserve to Be Called ‘Remodeling The Japanese Archipelago’?

Editorial

15:00 JST, January 25, 2025

There can be no objection to Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s basic idea of restoring vitality to the depopulating regions of Japan, but if his methods are just a rehash of conventional policies, then they are not worth talking about.

The ordinary session of the Diet has convened, and the prime minister has given his policy speech in both the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors. Ishiba emphasized his intention to push regional revitalization as a top policy priority, calling it “remodeling the Japanese archipelago in the Reiwa era.”

The prime minister said, “The public and private sectors will work together to create regional hubs, and the attractiveness of not just hardware but also content will create new flows of people.”

As specific measures to achieve this, the prime minister cited such steps as promoting the relocation of companies to regional areas, adding value to the agriculture, forestry and fisheries industries, and revitalizing the tourism industry. But these measures are not new.

Since 2014, the government has been working on regional revitalization in an attempt to change the trend of overconcentration in the greater Tokyo area, but it has not achieved the desired results. Ishiba himself was the first regional revitalization minister.

If the prime minister is going to tackle the same issues again and try to achieve results, he should analyze what was wrong with the previous policy measures and what was lacking, and then present new policies.

The prime minister also cited a “fun Japan,” as advocated by the late writer Taichi Sakaiya, as the image of the nation he is aiming for. Under this phrase, Ishiba said he aims for a society that places importance on individuals with diverse values and encourages them to achieve their own goals.

While individual values should be respected, it cannot be denied that going to extremes in such thinking has resulted in the spread in society of a trend in which people only assert their own rights, creating a situation that cannot be called “enjoyable.” Words have superseded reality.

To serve as the control tower for disaster management, the prime minister has called for the establishment of a disaster management supervisor position at the vice minister level in the Cabinet Office, and also the establishment of a disaster management agency in a regional area in fiscal 2026.

Currently, in the event of a large-scale disaster, the deputy chief cabinet secretary for disaster management is in charge of gathering information and directing the relevant ministries and agencies. What is the point of creating a new post of disaster management supervisor?

The division of roles between the envisioned disaster management agency and other government bodies, such as the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry, which is in charge of ordering restoration work in the wake of a disaster, and the Environment Ministry, which is in charge of waste disposal, is also unclear. It is worrisome that this would lead to confusion.

With regard to political reform, the prime minister mentioned sources of funds such as political party subsidies and donations from companies and organizations. “How should those [donations] be balanced?” Ishiba asked. He also stressed the question, “How should the discipline of political parties be considered and guaranteed?”

It could be said that it is characteristic of the prime minister to list points of contention for various issues and raise questions about them. However, it is the role of a leader to present clear policies with sufficient evidence and persuade the public. It has been nearly four months since he took office. It is no good if he continues to adopt the attitude of a pundit for much longer.

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Jan. 25, 2025)