LDP’s Kato Announces Bid for Party Leadership

Jiji Press

10:39 JST, September 11, 2024

TOKYO (Jiji Press) — Former Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato, 68, announced Tuesday his intention to run in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s Sept. 27 leadership election.

“My top priority task would be to double people’s income,” Kato, an LDP lawmaker in the House of Representatives, told a press conference at the Diet building. He said he intends to promptly draw up a package of economy-boosting measures, including steps related to natural disasters.

Kato is the eighth person to announce a candidacy in the race. This is the first time for him to run in an LDP leadership election. The official campaign period for the upcoming election is set to start Thursday.

Kato said: “We have no time to waste [in taking measures] to double people’s income. I’ll work on the issue with a strong determination, and I’m resolved to make people’s lives affluent.”

To realize the income-doubling goal, Kato announced an initiative aimed at enabling all people to play active roles. He also stressed that he will work on eliminating households’ financial burdens on school lunch, medical treatment for children and childbirth.

Kato showed a plan to compile a drastic supplementary state budget to finance the envisaged economic package, and have it enacted at an early date.

Over the LDP’s slush fund scandal, he said, “I’ll urge [party lawmakers involved in the misconduct] to fulfill their accountability,” adding, “The LDP should consider returning money equivalent to the amount of funds [that were not recorded in political fund reports] to the state coffers.”