- Japan’s Kishida warns world at ‘historic turning point’ as he touts US alliance ahead of Biden summit CNN
- Opinion | Japanese national security adviser sees ‘epic’ shift in Japan’s defense posture The Washington Post
- Why the U.S.-Japan Summit Matters Council on Foreign Relations
- What Japan’s Military Reorganization Means for US-Japanese Bilateral Operations – Modern War Institute United States Military Academy West Point
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Tag Archives: Kishida
Kishida marks 78th anniversary of World War II’s end without mentioning Japan’s wartime aggression – The Associated Press
- Kishida marks 78th anniversary of World War II’s end without mentioning Japan’s wartime aggression The Associated Press
- Japan will ‘never repeat the tragedy of war,’ PM vows on 78th anniversary of unconditional WWII surrender Fox News
- Japan marks 78th anniversary of end of World War II with memorial service CNA
- China’s military paper slams Japanese defence and Taiwan policies as Tokyo marks 78th year of WWII surrender South China Morning Post
- Japan marks 78th anniversary of the end of World War II The Japan Times
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Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announces new Indo-Pacific plan during India visit – CNBC
- Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announces new Indo-Pacific plan during India visit CNBC
- India and Japan strengthen ties, boosting cooperation in Indo-Pacific and defense | DW News DW News
- Japan plans $75 bln investment across Indo-Pacific to counter China Reuters
- C Raja Mohan writes: Japanese PM Kishida’s visit to India, Chinese president Xi’s trip to Moscow, and the rearrangement of great power and regional politics The Indian Express
- Kishida can’t dream of ‘open, Indo-Pacific’ unless India, Japan are tied on defence sector ThePrint
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Japan must save its falling birth rate ‘now or never,’ PM Kishida says
Tokyo
CNN
—
Japan’s prime minister issued a dire warning about the country’s population crisis on Monday, saying it was “on the brink of not being able to maintain social functions” due to the falling birth rate.
In a policy address to lawmakers, Fumio Kishida said it was a case of solving the issue “now or never,” and that it “simply cannot wait any longer.”
“In thinking of the sustainability and inclusiveness of our nation’s economy and society, we place child-rearing support as our most important policy,” the prime minister said.
Kishida added that he wants the government to double its spending on child-related programs, and that a new government agency would be set up in April to focus on the issue.
Japan has one of the lowest birth rates in the world, with the Ministry of Health predicting it will record fewer than 800,000 births in 2022 for the first time since records began in 1899.
The country also has one of the highest life expectancies in the world; in 2020, nearly one in 1,500 people in Japan were age 100 or older, according to government data.
These trends have driven a growing demographic crisis, with a rapidly aging society, a shrinking workforce and not enough young people to fill the gaps in the stagnating economy.
Experts point to several factors behind the low birth rate. The country’s high cost of living, limited space and lack of child care support in cities make it difficult to raise children, meaning fewer couples are having kids. Urban couples are also often far from extended family who could help provide support.
Attitudes toward marriage and starting families have also shifted in recent years, with more couples putting off both during the pandemic.
Some point to the pessimism young people in Japan hold toward the future, many frustrated with work pressure and economic stagnation.
Japan’s economy has stalled since its asset bubble burst in the early 1990s. The country’s GDP growth slowed from 4.9% in 1990 to 0.3% in 2019, according to the World Bank. Meanwhile, the average real annual household income declined from 6.59 million yen ($50,600) in 1995 to 5.64 million yen ($43,300) in 2020, according to 2021 data from the country’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.
The government has launched various initiatives to address the population decline over the past few decades, including new policies to enhance child care services and improve housing facilities for families with children. Some rural towns have even begun paying couples who live there to have children.
Shifting demographics are a concern across other parts of East Asia, too.
South Korea recently broke its own record for the world’s lowest fertility rate, with data from November 2022 showing a South Korean woman will have an average of 0.79 children in her lifetime – far below the 2.1 needed to maintain a stable population. Japan’s fertility rate stands at 1.3, while the United States is at 1.6.
Meanwhile, China’s population shrank in 2022 for the first time since the 1960s, adding to its woes as it struggles to recover from the pandemic. The last time its population fell was in 1961, during a famine that killed tens of millions of people across the country.
U.S. strongly committed to Japan defense, Biden tells Kishida, hails military boost
WASHINGTON, Jan 13 (Reuters) – President Joe Biden told Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Friday the United States was “fully, thoroughly, completely” committed Japan’s defense and praised Tokyo’s security build up, saying the nations had never been closer.
Kishida is in Washington on the last stop in a tour of the G7 industrial powers and has been seeking to bolster long-standing alliances amid rising concern in Japan, and the United States, about mounting regional security threats from China, North Korea and Russia.
In a meeting at the White House, Biden called it a “remarkable moment” in the U.S.-Japan alliance. He said the two countries had never been closer.
“Let me be crystal clear: The United States is fully, thoroughly, completely committed to the alliance, and importantly … to the defense of Japan,” he said, while also thanking Kishida for strong leadership in working closely on technology and economic issues.
“We are modernizing our military alliances, building on Japan’s historic increase in defense spending, and new national security strategy,” Biden said.
Kishida thanked Biden for U.S. work on regional security and said: “Japan and the United States are currently facing the most challenging and complex security environment in recent history.” He said Tokyo had formulated its new defense strategy released last month “to ensure peace and prosperity in the region.”
He said the two countries shared fundamental values of democracy and the rule of law “and the role that we are to play is becoming even greater.”
Kishida said he looked forward to a “candid” exchange of views on issues including “a free and open Indo-Pacific” – language the two sides use to describe efforts to push back against China – the G7, which Japan’s currently chairs, and climate change.
In a later speech at Washington’s Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, Kishida called China the “central challenge” for both Japan and the United States and said they and Europe must act in unison in dealing with the country.
DRAMATIC MILITARY CHANGE
Japan last month announced its biggest military build-up since World War Two – a dramatic departure from seven decades of pacifism, largely fueled by concerns about Chinese actions in the region.
“Biden commended Japan’s bold leadership in fundamentally reinforcing its defense capabilities and strengthening diplomatic efforts,” according to a joint U.S.-Japan statement issued after the meeting.
U.S. and Japanese foreign and defense ministers met on Wednesday and announced increased security cooperation following nearly two years of talks and the U.S. officials praised Tokyo’s military buildup plans.
[1/5] U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida walk through the colonnade on their way to the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, U.S., January 13, 2023. T.J. Kirkpatrick/Pool via REUTERS
Japan’s military reform plan will see it double defense spending to 2% of GDP and procure missiles that can strike ships or land-based targets 1,000 km (600 miles) away.
Before the meeting, a senior U.S. official said Biden and Kishida were expected to discuss security issues and the global economy and that their talks are likely to include control of semiconductor-related exports to China after Washington announced strict curbs last year.
SEMICONDUCTORS
The joint statement said the United States and Japan “will sharpen our shared edge on economic security, including protection and promotion of critical and emerging technologies, including semiconductors.”
Kishida, Japan’s Foreign Minister Hayashi and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken later signed an agreement on peaceful space exploration at NASA’s headquarters in Washington.
Blinken said this would take space cooperation “to new heights” and strengthen the partnership in areas including research into space technology and transportation, robotic lunar surface missions, climate-related missions, and “our shared ambition to see a Japanese astronaut on the lunar surface.”
At the ceremony, Kishida said the U.S.-Japan alliance was “stronger than ever.”
As well as chairing the G7, Japan took up a two-year term on the U.N. Security Council on Jan. 1 and holds the rotating monthly presidency of the 15-member body for January.
Kishida has said he backs Biden’s attempt to limit China’s access to advanced semiconductors with export restrictions. Still, he has not agreed to match sweeping curbs on exports of chip-manufacturing equipment that Washington imposed in October.
The U.S. official said Washington was working closely with Japan on the issue and believes they share a similar vision even if their legal structures are different. He said the more countries and significant players that backed the controls, the more effective they would be.
A Japanese official said economic security, including semiconductors, was likely to be discussed, but that no announcement was expected on that from the meeting.
Biden and Kishida committed to “strengthening vital trilateral cooperation” among the United States, Japan and South Korea, said the joint statement, which follows North Korea’s decision to exponentially increase its nuclear force and codify its right to a first strike.
Kishida’s visit follows one by Biden to Tokyo in May and a meeting between the two at a November regional summit in Cambodia.
(This story has been refiled to delete the extra word ‘defense’ in paragraph 1)
Reporting by Jeff Mason, Andrea Shalal, David Brunnstrom, Michael Martina, Tim Ahmann and Eric Beech; Editing by Don Durfee, Alistair Bell and Grant McCool
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Biden, Kishida agree to boost security, economic cooperation amid rising concerns
WASHINGTON/TOKYO, Jan 21 (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida agreed in a virtual meeting on Friday to boost cooperation on pressing economic and security issues, including China, North Korea’s missiles and Russia’s threat to Ukraine.
The online meeting, their first substantial talks since Kishida became Japan’s prime minister in October, followed “two-plus-two” discussions this month at which defense and foreign ministers from the longtime allies voiced strong concern about China’s growing might and vowed to respond if necessary to destabilizing activity in the Indo-Pacific. read more
Kishida said he and Biden had agreed to cooperate to realize a free and open Indo-Pacific, to work closely on China and the North Korean missile issue and also to cooperate on Ukraine.
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He also said Japan would host a meeting of the Quad grouping of the United States, Japan, Australia and India in the first half of this year with Biden visiting.
Biden accepted the invitation and indicated his intention to visit in late spring, a senior U.S. administration official said, adding that one of the aims of the Quad meeting would be to review progress of a pledge to supply a billion COVID-19 vaccine doses to Southeast Asia by the end of 2022.
Kishida said he and Biden also agreed to set up an economic version of a “two-plus-two” ministerial to promote economic cooperation. The U.S. official said this would focus on supply chains, technology investments, standards setting and export controls.
“We agreed to work together to advance cooperation among like-minded countries to realize a free and open Indo-Pacific,” Kishida told reporters. “We agreed to closely cooperate on China-related issues, including the East and South China Seas, Hong Kong, and the Xinjiang Uyghur (Autonomous Region), as well as North Korea’s nuclear and missile issues.”
Kishida said he and Biden would work closely to prevent a Russian invasion of Ukraine and “keep close contact with other allies and partners and continue communicating on the point that any attack will be met with strong action.”In a tweet, Biden said it was “an honor to meet with Prime Minister Kishida to further strengthen the U.S.-Japan Alliance — the cornerstone of peace and security in the Indo-Pacific and around the world.”
A White House statement said Biden had welcomed Kishida’s decision to increase defense spending and “underscored the importance of sustaining these vital investments over time.”
It said the two stressed the importance of strengthening cybersecurity and resolved “to push back” against China’s attempts to change the status quo in the East and South China Seas.
The U.S. official told reporters U.S.-Japan solidarity was on “full display” in the virtual session of about 90 minutes.
The two had a “very in-depth discussion” on China, sharing concerns about its intimidation of neighbors and “predatory” steps in trade and other realms, he said, adding that Kishida was particularly concerned about China’s nuclear buildup.
The White House said the leaders condemned North Korea’s recent ballistic missile launches, and the U.S. official said Biden had made clear Washington would work closely with Japan and South Korea to discourage “possible provocations that might follow on.”
North Korea fired tactical guided missiles this week in its latest of a series of launches and warned on Thursday it might rethink a moratorium on nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) tests.
The U.S. official said Biden and Kishida had had a “robust” discussion on the need for the United States to play an active role in trade and commercial architecture in Asia.
The Biden administration has been criticized for lacking a solid economic pillar to its strategy for Asia after then-President Donald Trump quit a regional trade framework now known as CPTPP in 2017, but it has been wary of returning to a pact critics say threatens U.S. jobs.
A senior U.S. policy official for China said on Wednesday Washington aims to establish “common goals” on economic cooperation with Indo-Pacific countries in early 2022.
The Chinese embassy in Japan issued a statement on Saturday in which it said that Biden and Kishida’s video meeting made “groundless attacks” on China and “grossly interfered” in its internal affairs, adding that it had lodged stern representations.
“We urge Japan and the United States to follow the trend of the times, abandon narrow policies of zero-sum game and beggar-thy-neighbor, stop interfering in China’s internal affairs, and stop drawing small circles based on ideologies.
Friday’s summit followed other security-related meetings involving Indo-Pacific leaders – two-plus-two talks between Japan and France on Thursday and between Australian and British foreign and defense ministers on Friday.
Biden last year hosted a first in-person summit of the Quad grouping at which the leaders vowed to pursue a free and open Indo-Pacific “undaunted by coercion.” read more
China has stepped up military and diplomatic pressure to assert its sovereignty over Taiwan, which it claims as its own.
Kishida said this week Japan would beef up its defenses of islands near Taiwan, comments that followed a promise in October to revise security strategy so as to consider “all options, including possession of so-called enemy-strike capabilities.”
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Reporting by David Brunnstrom, Susan Heavey, Michael Martina and Paul Grant in Washington and Kiyoshi Takenaka and David Dolan in Tokyo; Additional reporting by Rami Ayub and Brenda Goh; Editing by Frances Kerry, Jonathan Oatis, Chizu Nomiyama and Jacqueline Wong
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Japan PM Kishida, strengthened by election win, lays out broad policy plans
TOKYO, Nov 1 (Reuters) – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, invigorated by a surprisingly strong election victory, signalled on Monday he would pursue defence policies aimed at deterring China, address climate change and accelerate recovery from the pandemic.
Kishida’s conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) defied predictions and held onto its single party majority in a Sunday election, solidifying his position as head of the fractious party and giving him a freer hand in parliament, with recovery from the coronavirus pandemic – including an extra budget – taking priority.
Some had feared that Kishida, only in power for a month, could become another one of Japan’s short-term prime ministers, but the election results – which set stocks surging in relief – will allow him to put his own stamp on policies ahead of an upper house election next summer.
The LDP’s solid victory in Japan’s parliamentary election also eased bond market fears of massive bond issuance because it will likely take pressure off Kishida to inflate the size of a pandemic-relief stimulus package. read more
“We will speedily implement policies to respond to the voices of the people we have received nationwide that strongly desire political stability and policy implementation,” the prime minister said at a news conference on Monday.
Key among those will be recovery from the pandemic, with Kishida pledging to work for an extra budget by the end of the year, look into restarting a travel subsidy programme to revive domestic tourism and compile a “large-scale” stimulus package around mid-November.
But he also placed emphasis on defence in a nod to the more hawkish views of backers in the LDP who supported him in his run for leader, the pursuit of which could become trickier given the electoral gains made by the dovish junior coalition partner Komeito.
The LDP included the unprecedented pledge to double defence spending to 2% of GDP in its party platform, a nod to its haste to acquire weapons to deter China’s military in the disputed East China Sea.
“When we think about protecting people’s lives and livelihood, a budget should not come first,” Kishida said.
“We need to think about what is really needed for that end. I’d like to proceed with this debate carefully so that I can gain Komeito’s understanding.”
DIPLOMACY, CLEAN ENERGY
Kishida added that Japan needed to consider the capability to strike enemy bases as an option to counter growing defence technology in other nations.
“What’s important is making checks constantly if a system is in place to protect people’s lives and livelihood amid a changing international situation and advancing technologies,” he said.
The prime minister, who spoke of “personal diplomacy” during the campaign, wasted no time kicking that off by announcing he would leave for Glasgow and the COP26 climate summit on Tuesday for his face-to-face debut at an international conference.
Saying his stimulus package would include investment on clean energy and funding aid to Asia, he also said he hoped Japan would take a leadership role on zero emissions in Asia.
Japan has set a target of 2050 for becoming carbon-neutral, and Kishida believes – in the face of considerable public opposition – that nuclear energy should remain an option.
While initial exit polls on Sunday suggested the LDP would have to rely on its junior coalition partner, Komeito, to keep a majority, the conservative party – in power for all but a few years since its founding in 1955 – instead won a solid majority of 261 seats on its own.
The party did take some notable hits, including the loss by LDP secretary-general Akira Amari, in his single-seat district. Though media reports said Amari would resign, Kishida said he would decide his future after the two had “thorough discussions”.
Voters took the results in their stride.
“This is pretty much as I expected, though I thought there might be a bit more of an impact from their handling of the coronavirus pandemic,” said Satoshi Tsujimoto, 53 and an office worker. He did not vote for the LDP.
Additional reporting by Sakura Murakami, Rikako Maruyama and Kohei Miyazaki; writing by Elaine Lies; editing by Lincoln Feast and Raju Gopalakrishnan
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Japan votes in test for new PM Kishida, political stability
TOKYO, Oct 31 (Reuters) – Japanese voters went to the polls on Sunday to decide whether to endorse the conservative government of Fumio Kishida or weaken the new prime minister and possibly return the world’s third-largest economy to a period of political uncertainty.
The vote is a test for Kishida, who called the election soon after taking the top post early this month, and for his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which has been battered by its perceived mishandling of the coronavirus pandemic.
Already, Kishida has struggled to advance policies to help poorer people, while securing a big boost in military spending and taking a harder line on China.
With his lacklustre image failing to inspire voters, the LDP is on the brink of losing its majority in the lower house of parliament for the first time since 2009, opinion polls show, although its coalition with junior partner Komeito will stay in power.
“It’s hard to say the pandemic is completely snuffed out and society is stable, so we shouldn’t have any big changes in coronavirus policy,” said Naoki Okura, a doctor, after voting in Tokyo.
“Rather than demanding a change in government, I think we should demand continuity.”
Voting ends at 8 p.m. (1100 GMT), with projected results likely to come soon afterward from media exit polls.
TOUGH CONTESTS, REVOLVING DOOR?
Several key LDP lawmakers are facing particularly tough contests, including Akira Amari, the party’s secretary general.
“Revolving-door prime ministers is a weakness that many outside of Japan fear,” Sheila A. Smith, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, wrote in a blog post. “Prime Minister Kishida will need a unified party and a strong electoral showing on Oct. 31 if he is to successfully tackle Japan’s difficult national agenda.”
Turnout will be crucial, since higher turnout tends to favour the opposition. As of 2 p.m., turnout stood at 21.49%, down 0.34 point from the previous lower house poll – but 16.6 million voted in advance, the Internal Affairs Ministry said.
The biggest opposition group, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, is expected to gain seats but not come near toppling Kishida’s coalition.
“The only party with policies aimed at people in their 20s and 30s is the Constitutional Democrats, things like income tax and so on,” said office worker Daisuke Matsumoto, 27. “It’s true other parties have policies aimed at child-raising, but what about those of us who are childless?”
A big loss of LDP seats could lead to party infighting, returning Japan to an era of short-lived administrations that diminished its global stature, until Shinzo Abe helmed the country for a record eight years to September 2020. The dovish Komeito could also gain more clout within the coalition.
Uncertainty is high, with the Nikkei newspaper estimating 40% of single-seat districts have close races and recent polls showing some 40% of voters undecided.
Kishida’s publicly stated goal is for his coalition to keep a majority, at least 233 seats, of the 465 in the lower house. Before the election, the coalition had a commanding two-thirds majority of 305, with the LDP holding 276.
Investors and political watchers are focussed on whether the LDP – in power for all but brief spells since it was formed in 1955 – can keep its majority as a single party. Losing that would erode Kishida’s power base in the factional LDP and the party’s standing against the Komeito.
The usually splintered opposition is united, arranging for only one party – including the widely shunned Japanese Communist Party – to face off against the coalition in most districts, with analysts saying this is creating a number of neck-and-neck battles.
But the opposition has failed to capture the hearts of voters, with only 8% supporting the Constitutional Democrats while 39% back the LDP, according to a poll last week by public broadcaster NHK.
Still, some voters – like Yoshihiko Suzuki, who voted for the Constitutional Democrat in his voting district and the Communists in proportional representation – hoped the poll might teach the LDP a lesson.
Suzuki, 68 and retired, said Abe’s eight years in power made the LDP complacent and arrogant, underscored by a series of money and cronyism scandals.
“I hope this election comes as a wakeup call for them,” he added. “If it does, the LDP will become a better party, considering the number of talented lawmakers they’ve got.”
Reporting by Sakura Murakami, Elaine Lies, Irene Wang, Daniel Leussink, Kiyoshi Takenaka and Yoshifumi Takemoto; Writing by Sakura Murakami and Elaine Lies; Editing by William Mallard
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Fumio Kishida takes office as Japan’s new Prime Minister
Kishida, 64, who was elected leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) last week, was officially confirmed as the country’s 100th Prime Minster following a parliamentary vote — his elevation all but a given due to the LDP’s majority in the lower house.
A moderate liberal regarded as a stabilizing hand, Kishida inherits a Japan that has suffered surging Covid-19 infections, a stagnating economy, a rapidly aging population and increasing tensions with China.
Kishida served as the country’s foreign minister from 2012 to 2017, under Japan’s longest-serving Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe. He succeeds outgoing Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, who announced earlier this month he would not run in his party’s leadership election following a turbulent term marked by a slump in public support as he struggled to contain the coronavirus.
Analysts say Kishida is seen as a consensus builder, an establishment choice who represents stability. But the political veteran wasn’t the popular choice — he had lackluster support from the public and struggled to shake off his image as a boring bureaucrat.
His first major test will be the next general election, in which he’ll be the face of a party that’s been criticized for its handling of the pandemic.
“He’s not going to be a TV star. He’s not going to capture the imagination of the average Japanese person. But the Japanese people want stability and security, and I think he will be able to provide that,” said Keith Henry, president of political risk and business consulting firm Asia Strategy.
What to expect from Kishida’s administration
Kishida has promised a “new capitalism” that includes narrowing the income gap and boosting consumer spending. He said the eponymous economic policies of Abe — known as “Abenomics” — failed to “trickle down” from the rich to the poor. He has also proposed a hefty recovery package worth “several tens of trillions” of yen to steer Japan’s economy out of its pandemic-induced slump.
“A deep feeling among the Japanese people that this gap between the haves and have-nots, the gap between wealth, wages and opportunity is increasing,” Henry said.
Kishida will also take on the country’s coronavirus response. Japan has vaccinated 60% of its population against Covid-19, and last week the country lifted its state of emergency amid a drop in infections. Social and business restrictions are gradually easing and Japan loosened entry restrictions for some visitors. But there are concerns the virus could make a resurgence over the winter months.
On foreign policy, Kishida has committed to “the realization of a free and open Indo-Pacific.” His predecessor Suga attended the first in-person meeting of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, known as “the Quad,” an informal strategic forum of the United States, Australia, Japan and India, in the US last month.
Kishida is expected to support a strong alliance with the US and other allies, and a key challenge will be balancing Japan’s deep economic ties with China and its concerns about Beijing’s growing military assertiveness in the region. Kishida also faces an increasingly aggressive North Korea.
The new Prime Minister said he also wants to take measures against the country’s declining birthrate, and believes nuclear energy should be considered as a clean energy option.
Analysts question whether Kishida will be a lasting leader, or whether Japan will return to a period of political instability similar to that of the pre-Abe era, when Japan cycled through six prime ministers in six years.
“There are so many complicated issues. And he is not the strongest leader in the ruling party of LDP. So I’m so concerned about the revolving prime minister system,” said Takeshi Niinami, economic advisor to former Prime Minister Suga and CEO of Japan’s beverage giant Suntory.
Japan PM contender Kishida targets income disparity; rival Takaichi launches bid
TOKYO, Sept 8 (Reuters) – Japan should strive for a new form of capitalism to reduce income disparity that has worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic, Fumio Kishida, who hopes to become the next prime minister, said on Wednesday.
Kishida, a former foreign minister, presented his economic policies as part of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) leadership race, which started last week after Yoshihide Suga said he would step down. The winner is assured of becoming Japan’s next premier.
Former internal minister Sanae Takaichi joined Kishida in the contest, unveiling a conservative platform, while popular coronavirus vaccination minister Taro Kono met party heavyweights as he weighs his chances. read more
If Takaichi, 60, manages to overcome long odds, she would become Japan’s first female leader.
Kishida said deregulation during the reform era in the early 2000s widened the gap between the haves and have-nots and that former prime minister Shinzo Abe’s “Abenomics”, which sought to fix tattered finances by achieving high growth and boosting tax revenues, did not result in benefits trickling down.
“Without distribution of wealth there won’t be a rise in consumption and demand…there won’t be further growth if distribution of wealth is lost,” Kishida said at a Tokyo presentation on Wednesday.
“There’s no doubt Abenomics has brought a major achievement on growth but in terms of distribution of wealth, trickle-down has not yet happened.”
Kishida repeated a call for an economic stimulus package and reiterated his support for the Bank of Japan’s 2% inflation target as “a global standard”.
Kishida also called for setting up a 10 trillion yen ($90 billion) university fund to stimulate science and promotion of renewable energy, while retaining nuclear power technology, which he said should be considered as a clean energy option.
TAKAICHI JOINS THE RACE
Takaichi launched her challenge on policies to strengthen security and help boost the COVID-battered economy.
She became the first female internal affairs minister in the second Abe administration in 2014, and local media said he supported her bid, helping her obtain the 20 lawmaker backers she will need to formally enter the contest.
But Takaichi has ranked poorly in popularity ratings, which could hamper her chances.
Whoever wins the Sept. 29 vote of grass-roots LDP members and party lawmakers will lead the party in the lower house election that must be held by Nov. 28, making public appeal an important factor in choosing Suga’s successor.
A member of the party’s most conservative wing, Takaichi on Wednesday defended her frequent visits to the Yasukuni Shrine, a memorial to Japan’s war dead. Such visits by Japanese leaders infuriate old wartime foes such as China and South Korea.
“I do this as a Japanese citizen to express my respect and thanks,” said Takaichi. “It’s my freedom of religion to do so.”
She distanced herself from statements issued by Japan in the past apologising for its wartime aggression, instead highlighting the one proclaimed by the Abe government.
“It said our children’s and grandchildren’s generations should not have to keep apologising,” said Takaichi.
She condemned China’s abuses of ethnic minorities in Xinjiang and Tibet and said Japan should protect members of such groups residing in Japan who are facing threats.
Takaichi also called for legislation to prevent leaks of advanced technologies out of Japan, and said she would shelve the goal of hitting a primary budget balance until the Bank of Japan’s 2% inflation target was met.
“Sanaenomics has three pillars of bold monetary easing, fiscal spending and crisis-control investment,” Takaichi said. “We’ll mobilise all of them to achieve the 2% inflation target.”
Reporting by Tetsushi Kajimoto, Daniel Leussink and Kiyoshi Takenaka; Additional reporting by Antoni Slodkowski; Editing by Michael Perry and John Stonestreet
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