Ishiba Emphasizes Remodeling Archipelago in Policy Speech; Disaster Response, Political Reform Among Key Topics

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba delivers his policy speech at the House of Representatives plenary session on Friday.
21:00 JST, January 24, 2025
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba declared Friday that he will vigorously push ahead with the remodeling of the Japanese archipelago during his first policy speeches since taking office, at the plenary sessions of both houses in the ordinary Diet session, which convened on the day.
Stating that he aims for Japan to be a “fun Japan” where every individual can achieve self-actualization, Ishiba declared “the remodeling of the Japanese archipelago in the Reiwa era,” a reference to the remodeling of the archipelago put forward during the Showa era by former Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka.
For realizing the policy, Ishiba outlined five pillars. These include the creation of “regional areas that young people and women will choose” by such measures as establishing laws to correct the wage gap between men and women; the promotion of relocating industry, government — including government agencies — and academia to the regional areas; and the development of new-era infrastructure that would improve daily life through the use of digital technology.
The two remaining pillars are a “regional innovation creation initiative” that aims to create new industrial fields and promote technological innovation in regional areas, and a new framework for regional collaboration that goes beyond prefectural boundaries.
Ishiba also called for promoting discussions on disaster prevention and strengthening the nation’s resilience to major disasters as well as electoral system reform.
The prime minister places great importance on disaster prevention, and he pledged to fundamentally strengthen the government’s disaster prevention functions in terms of both budget and personnel, including by establishing relevant legislation and the leadership position for a disaster response command.
In terms of diplomacy and security, Ishiba stated that he will aim to share his views on security and economic issues with U.S. President Donald Trump at the Japan-U.S. summit scheduled for early February. “I want to elevate the Japan-U.S. alliance to even greater heights,” he said.
On the topic of political reform, Ishiba said he will promote deepened discussions between the ruling and opposition parties, including on how to balance the funding sources for political activities between government subsidies and donations from companies, organizations and individuals.
Regarding the election system, Ishiba said, “Democracy can only exist in a space of healthy debate,” and called for bipartisan discussions on review and reform regarding the spread of disinformation on social media during election periods.
The ordinary Diet session will last for 150 days, ending June 22.
“I will make every effort to gain the support of as many parties as possible,” Ishiba told reporters at the Prime Minister’s Office prior to the speech, speaking on the upcoming deliberations on bills and budget at the Diet sessions.
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