Budget Committee Meeting: Concerns Remain over PM’s Answers to Questions on Diplomacy

Editorial

14:02 JST, February 1, 2025

How Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba will face the Japan-U.S. summit to be held early this month at the earliest has become a point of discussion, but it must be said that Ishiba’s answers have lacked specifics.

The Budget Committee of the House of Representatives has begun substantive deliberations on the government’s budget proposal for fiscal 2025.

Regarding U.S. President Donald Trump calling North Korea a “nuclear power,” Yasutaka Nakasone of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party asked Ishiba for his views, saying that Trump might be thinking of making some kind of deal with Pyongyang.

Kentaro Genma, a lawmaker from the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, asked Ishiba whether, if told by Trump to raise Japan’s defense spending, he would accept the demand.

In response to such questions, Ishiba only gave boilerplate answers such as: “I’d like to take the Japan-U.S. alliance to new heights.”

It is regrettable that Ishiba repeated such general statements when he had a perfect opportunity to present his own views on how to protect Japan’s security in the face of growing military threats from China, Russia and North Korea, and to deep the public’s understanding of them. These cannot be called thoughtful discussions.

Ishiba indicated his intention to confirm that the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty, which stipulates the U.S.’ obligation to defend Japan, applies to the Senkaku Islands. But Washington has repeatedly promised as such in past summits.

With the international situation becoming more fluid, the importance of the Japan-U.S. alliance is increasing. Whether Japan and the United States will be able to take concerted action at the summit on measures to deal with various issues in the international community, as well as issues between the two countries, is a concern.

The outstanding issue at hand between Japan and the United States is the issue of the acquisition of major steelmaker U.S. Steel Corp. by Nippon Steel Corp. Former U.S. President Joe Biden issued an order to block the deal, citing security concerns. It is expected that overturning this order will not be easy.

However, Trump’s focus should be on jobs in the United States. Ishiba’s explanation to Trump about how the acquisition by Nippon Steel will create jobs and benefit the United States will be key.

In order to resolve the situation, the Japanese government should consult with Nippon Steel and work to make adjustments centered on measures to create further jobs in the United States.

Meanwhile, the lower house Budget Committee decided to summon a former staffer responsible for accounting in the LDP’s now-defunct Abe faction, who was found guilty of violating the Political Funds Control Law, as an unsworn witness to the Diet. The LDP opposed the decision, but it was decided by a majority of votes among the opposition parties. However, the former accountant reportedly intends not to heed the summons.

It is customary for the Diet to vote unanimously to summon someone as an unsworn witness. This is the first time in 51 years, since 1974, that a majority vote has been used to decide on the matter.

Although the decision has no binding power, both the ruling and opposition parties should be cautious about summoning a civilian to the Diet. The system must not be abused by the power of numbers.

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Feb. 1, 2025)