The Liberal Democratic Party has announced its campaign pledges for the lower house election, specifying that it would revise the National Security Strategy, the basic guideline for Japan's security policy, for the first time since it was compiled in 2013.
The LDP also pledged that the National Defense Program Guidelines and the Mid-Term Defense Program will be revised ahead of schedule. It included specific measures for "new capitalism," an economic policy emphasizing the distribution of wealth proposed by Prime Minister and LDP President Fumio Kishida.
Sanae Takaichi, head of the party's Policy Research Council, told a press conference Tuesday: "This is an election to choose the administration under the new LDP president, Kishida. I want to speak strongly to the people about how we will confront the coronavirus pandemic and how we envision the future."
The eight pillars of the campaign pledges are: (1) measures against infectious diseases (2) new capitalism (3) agriculture, forestry, and fisheries (4) regional revitalization (5) economic security (6) diplomacy and security (7) education, and (8) constitutional revision. The LDP also unveiled a "policy bank" listing specific measures.
In the area of diplomacy and security, the LDP stated that it would substantially strengthen defense capabilities and aim to increase defense spending with a target of more than 2% of GDP in mind.
Economic security was named as a pillar of the LDP's campaign pledges for the first time, in light of the intensifying global struggle for technological supremacy. In addition to the enactment of a law to promote economic security so as to prevent the outflow of technology, the LDP has set a goal of upgrading cyberdefense systems in the fields of aviation, medicine, electric power, and finance.
As for "new capitalism," the government's growth strategy is to increase international competitiveness through strategic support for robots, semiconductors and animation. At the same time, the LDP is calling for distributing the fruits of growth to small and medium-sized enterprises and workers by providing tax support to companies that are willing to raise wages.
Regarding measures against the novel coronavirus, the LDP cited completing the vaccination of all those who wish to be vaccinated by early November and promoting the spread of oral medication by the end of the year.
In preparation for another surge in cases, the LDP also stipulated legal revisions to give the government stronger authority to reduce the flow of people.
Regarding the constitutional revision, it stipulated the party's four-point constitutional amendment plan, including specifying the ground rules for the Self-Defense Forces. "We aim to realize constitutional revision as soon as possible," the party said.
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