Japanese parties' election campaigning swings into gear
In speeches on the second day of the official campaign period for the Upper House election, party leaders focused on issues such as inflation and rice shortages.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who leads the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, emphasized the importance of increasing rice production in a dialogue with local farmers in Shirakawa, Fukushima Prefecture.
In a stump speech, Ishiba touted his ruling coalition's campaign pledge to provide cash benefits ranging from ¥20,000 to ¥40,000 per person to help cushion the impact of higher prices on households, saying this was "not pork barreling."
Later, the prime minister visited Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, which was hit hard by a major earthquake in January 2024, and pledged to make Japan the world's leading disaster-resilient nation.
"Which party will discuss disaster prevention in an election?" he said. "I wonder where there is a party that can talk responsibly about medical services, pensions, nursing care and child-rearing," he said, emphasizing that the LDP will take responsibility for the country's future.
Mitsunari Okamoto, policy chief at Komeito, the LDP's coalition partner, touted the ruling bloc's cash benefits plan in a speech in Asaka, Saitama Prefecture, saying the payments "may not be sufficient but we hope they will help people cope with rising prices."
In a stump speech in the city of Kumamoto, Yoshihiko Noda, head of the major opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, criticized the ruling bloc's refusal to abolish the provisional gasoline tax.
"It's quite natural to abolish (the tax) amid higher inflation," he said.
Hirofumi Yoshimura, leader of Nippon Ishin no Kai, another opposition party, vowed in a speech in Ashiya, Hyogo Prefecture, to defeat politicians who believe in handouts to solve problems.
Yuichiro Tamaki, head of the opposition Democratic Party for the People, campaigned in the city of Fukuoka and emphasized that providing the benefits alone "will not lead to a lasting sense of security."
Meanwhile, Akira Koike, head of the secretariat of the Japanese Communist Party, visited the city of Fukushima and blamed the LDP's past push to reduce rice production for soaring prices.
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Japan Today
4 hours ago
- Japan Today
Ishiba counters Trump's view on rice imports ahead of election
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba (facing camera) meets with locals to speak about agricultural policy in Shirakawa, Fukushima Prefecture, on Friday. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Friday pushed back against U.S. President Donald Trump's claim that Japan is not importing U.S. rice, saying the misconception should be corrected. Ishiba's comment, made during a meeting with farmers on the second day of campaigning for a nationwide parliamentary election, followed his remark the previous day that Trump may be misinformed about Japan's imports of rice and cars from the United States. Ishiba, who leads the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, which has traditionally enjoyed support from agricultural groups, reiterated that his government will not compromise national interests to reach a tariff deal with the United States. "We have been importing rice from California," Ishiba said at the meeting in Fukushima Prefecture, one of the areas known for rice-growing in northeastern Japan. "We must make sure that this point is clearly understood" by the U.S. side, he said. Japan-U.S. ministerial talks aimed at finding common ground on tariffs appear to have hit a snag, with Trump in recent days voicing complaints about his country's trade with Japan. Japan "won't take our RICE, and yet they have a massive rice shortage," Trump said in a recent social media post. Trump has also threatened to raise duties on imports from Japan and other countries ahead of the expiration next Wednesday of a reprieve from so-called reciprocal tariffs. Ishiba failed to reach an agreement with Trump during their mid-June summit, but he has maintained that Japan is in no hurry. Still, Ishiba said Thursday that the bilateral talks have been "making progress steadily and certainly," though he declined to say how close the longtime allies are to a potential deal. Soaring rice prices, driven largely by a poor harvest, have emerged as a key issue for major political parties ahead of the July 20 House of Councillors election, with opposition leaders criticizing the government's response as ineffective. After roughly doubling from a year earlier, rice prices have begun to decline in recent days. Government data released Friday showed the average retail price of rice was 3,691 yen ($26) per 5 kilograms in the week ended Sunday, down 57 yen from the previous week. The decline is partly due to the government selling rice from its emergency reserves to retailers in an effort to bring down prices. In the run-up to the high-stakes election that could determine Ishiba's political future, he has pledged to boost domestic rice production, marking a departure from Japan's long-standing policy of controlling overall output. "As an independent nation, we cannot allow rice cultivation to decline because of increased imports," Ishiba said in the Fukushima meeting. © KYODO
Japan Times
11 hours ago
- Japan Times
Japanese parties' election campaigning swings into gear
Leaders of ruling and opposition parties took to the streets to canvass for votes on Friday as they entered full-fledged campaigning for the July 20 Upper House election. In speeches on the second day of the official campaign period for the Upper House election, party leaders focused on issues such as inflation and rice shortages. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who leads the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, emphasized the importance of increasing rice production in a dialogue with local farmers in Shirakawa, Fukushima Prefecture. In a stump speech, Ishiba touted his ruling coalition's campaign pledge to provide cash benefits ranging from ¥20,000 to ¥40,000 per person to help cushion the impact of higher prices on households, saying this was "not pork barreling." Later, the prime minister visited Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, which was hit hard by a major earthquake in January 2024, and pledged to make Japan the world's leading disaster-resilient nation. "Which party will discuss disaster prevention in an election?" he said. "I wonder where there is a party that can talk responsibly about medical services, pensions, nursing care and child-rearing," he said, emphasizing that the LDP will take responsibility for the country's future. Mitsunari Okamoto, policy chief at Komeito, the LDP's coalition partner, touted the ruling bloc's cash benefits plan in a speech in Asaka, Saitama Prefecture, saying the payments "may not be sufficient but we hope they will help people cope with rising prices." In a stump speech in the city of Kumamoto, Yoshihiko Noda, head of the major opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, criticized the ruling bloc's refusal to abolish the provisional gasoline tax. "It's quite natural to abolish (the tax) amid higher inflation," he said. Hirofumi Yoshimura, leader of Nippon Ishin no Kai, another opposition party, vowed in a speech in Ashiya, Hyogo Prefecture, to defeat politicians who believe in handouts to solve problems. Yuichiro Tamaki, head of the opposition Democratic Party for the People, campaigned in the city of Fukuoka and emphasized that providing the benefits alone "will not lead to a lasting sense of security." Meanwhile, Akira Koike, head of the secretariat of the Japanese Communist Party, visited the city of Fukushima and blamed the LDP's past push to reduce rice production for soaring prices.
Japan Times
13 hours ago
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As trade deadline approaches, Japan must draw lines
According to conventional wisdom, a strong national leader will force a weak one, or one with less popular support, to buckle in tough negotiations. By that logic, U.S. President Donald Trump has the whip hand in trade talks with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. Yet, Ishiba has held out, resisting U.S. pressure to sign a quick deal, a position that is strengthened, ironically, by Ishiba's weakness. The prime minister cannot afford to make concessions as the July 20 Upper House election approaches. His spine is stiffened by the failure of the U.S. to make clear its demands and the U.S. president's record of ripping up deals that even he negotiated. Clarity and trust are the essential prerequisites of successful negotiations. Neither exists today. Japan was worried about Trump's return to the White House, fearful that the bilateral relationship would suffer given the 45th and 47th president's long-time animus toward Japan and the absence of a 'Trump whisperer,' former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Yet, in January, Trump described the partnership as 'a friendship like few others,' certain that 'the cherished alliances between our two countries will continue to flourish long into the future!' Sensing opportunity, Ishiba hurried to Washington to meet Trump, a move that some considered unseemly and perhaps unwise, but the resulting summit was a success. When Trump announced that he would impose blanket 10% tariffs on all trade partners, with still greater sanctions on specific sectors like autos, auto parts, steel and aluminum, Japan was one of the first countries to begin negotiations on a deal, its faith in the relationship yielding confidence that an agreement was possible. Since then, Ryosei Akazawa, Japan's chief tariff negotiator, has visited Washington regularly, sometimes weekly, in search of a deal. Despite seven rounds of talks, periodic claims that an agreement was imminent and impressive efforts by Japan to court the mercurial U.S. president — at one point, Akazawa wore a 'Make America Great Again' cap while meeting Trump — the two countries remain at loggerheads. In the last round, held late last month, Akazawa failed to even meet Scott Bessent, U.S. treasury secretary and chief U.S. negotiator, or U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. Worse, when the talks adjourned Trump unloaded on Japan, complaining that the country was 'spoiled' and took no U.S. rice or automobiles. Talking to reporters, he wasn't sure if a deal with Japan was possible, saying 'I doubt it. ... They're very tough.' Trump said that he would be sending Japan 'a letter,' or notice of his intent to impose tariffs on its goods, which would mark 'the end of the trade deal.' In an interview, Trump warned that Japan would 'pay a 25% tariff on your cars,' and later comments hinted it could be as high as a 35% levy. Japan responded with silence. While the current deadline for a deal is July 9, Bessent has indicated that an extension might be possible. There are reports that Akazawa may make yet another trip to Washington for another round of talks. One of the questions he needs answered is what purpose U.S. tariffs serve. If they are intended to raise revenue that facilitates the restructuring of the U.S. tax system, which would imply that they are permanent, then the parameters of a deal are much changed. An agreement is difficult when one side doesn't understand the facts. The charge that Japan imports no U.S. rice is false, as agriculture minister Shinjiro Koizumi explained. 'Rice imports from abroad, including from the U.S., had increased 120 times from a year earlier.' If Japanese consumers don't buy U.S. automobiles, it isn't because of tariffs — this country imposes no levy on imported passenger cars — but because American automakers don't build vehicles that Japanese want. Koizumi was right to call Trump's comments an 'obvious misunderstanding of the facts.' Autos are central to any eventual resolution of this dispute. Trump insists that his 25% tariff, imposed in March, is nonnegotiable. Japan wants it gone. The U.S. may believe that Japan will be squeezed by its tariffs. And, in fact, exports to the U.S. dropped by 11% year on year in May, with automobile exports down 24.7%. Automakers have been working to avoid passing on the tariff costs, but they are reaching the limits at which they can squeeze their supply chains. Japanese automakers have increased production in the U.S., which is one of Trump's objectives. Any eventual resolution is more likely to reflect larger political and economic considerations than the specific terms of any document. Fearful of some of the consequences, Trump has been criticized for failing to follow through on his threats and the prospect of an economic slowdown in the U.S. — the perpetual warning of economists when they evaluate his trade policy — could force him to back off again. Trump has also been promising deals for so long and has achieved such meager results — only agreements with Vietnam and the U.K., while a purported pact with China remains unclear — that his administration might settle for something with Japan that is more symbolic than real. If Trump believed that Ishiba would readily submit to his demands, he was mistaken. That error is understandable. The U.S. is central to Japan's economy and critical to its security but the leverage that affords the U.S. president is limited. Growing numbers of Japanese voters oppose gross concessions. One poll shows more than half of voters believe Japan should not make a deal even if it hurts the bilateral relationship. Only 15% agree to concessions to avoid additional tariffs. Most worrisome now is a growing sense among the Japanese public that the U.S. is no longer a reliable partner. After all, in 2019, Trump and Abe released a joint statement after signing a trade pact that said 'While faithfully implementing these agreements, both nations will refrain from taking measures against the spirit of these agreements and this Joint Statement.' Yet here we are again. American credibility is also diminished by constant calls for ever-more defense spending, first to 2% of gross domestic product, then 3% and now 5%. It is not surprising, then, that another recent poll showed that only 22% either greatly (3%) or somewhat (19%) trust the U.S., while 68% somewhat (46%) or entirely (22%) distrust it. An agreement is difficult in these circumstances. Still, it is possible. And Japan has cards to play. It could pledge to increase purchases of crude oil, natural gas and agricultural products to help balance trade accounts. While these are ultimately private sector decisions, the Japanese government could also encourage companies to invest in the U.S. This shouldn't take much effort since it is already occurring. But Japan must also draw lines. While this country needs a good working relationship with the U.S., it must not be at any cost. This country has national interests to protect. They include a thriving security partnership, a stable and growing economy and a rules-based international order. Indulging a mercurial if not arbitrary U.S. president is not among them, especially if it threatens those other concerns. The Japan Times Editorial Board
