Voters are called on to coolheadedly discern which parties and candidates have put forth convincing policies and have the ability to implement them.
Campaigning for the 25th House of Councillors election has officially kicked off, with 370 candidates running for the 124 seats up for grabs.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has set a goal for the Liberal Democratic Party, which he heads, and its coalition partner Komeito to secure a majority of seats in the upper house, including the seats they hold that are not contested this time. The campaign has taken on a pattern in which many weak opposition parties cooperate to fight against the goliath coalition. The achievements of the Abe Cabinet, which has lasted 6-1/2 years, will be tested in the election.
In a campaign speech in Fukushima city, Abe referred to past administrations led by the Democratic Party of Japan, saying: "The national economy slackened amid indecisive politics. We would like to ensure the stability of politics."
True, the Abe Cabinet has helped improve corporate business results and the employment situation while giving the economy top priority. It has maintained high popular approval ratings and built a stable political footing.
On the other hand, laxity and arrogance, which are distinctive characteristics of a long-running administration, are seen occasionally. The Abe administration needs to show a stance of managing the government sincerely and thus obtain the understanding of voters.
Making a campaign speech in Tokyo, Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ) leader Yukio Edano stressed the need for implementing a policy to increase household income, saying, "It is necessary to restore peace of mind in people's lives."
Each opposition party calls for suspending or canceling the plan to raise the consumption tax rate to 10 percent in October.
Of more than 5 trillion yen in revenue that is expected from the planned tax hike, about 1.7 trillion yen will be earmarked for assistance in child rearing and about 1.1 trillion yen for social security improvement. If the opposition parties postpone the tax hike, how will they secure budgets for these projects? They should present realistic fiscal resources.
Young people, speak up
The CDPJ, the Democratic Party for the People, the Japanese Communist Party and the Social Democratic Party are fielding joint candidates in 32 constituencies where only one seat is up for grabs in this election.
The four opposition parties differ in their basic policies, including those on the Constitution and the Self-Defense Forces, and have yet to even conclude a policy agreement. To what extent will their campaign strategy, aimed merely at garnering votes, be accepted by voters?
It has long been said that the quality of lawmakers has deteriorated, as seen in such cases as their repeated gaffes and sloppy management of political funds.
The upper chamber assumes a role of restraining and supplementing the House of Representatives. The term of upper house members is six years long, so adequate insight is called for on their part. It is essential to closely examine the quality and capacity of each candidate through the election campaign.
The upper house poll is the third national election since suffrage was awarded to people aged 18 and 19. It is regrettable that the turnout of teenage voters in the past two national elections was lower than the average across age groups. It is indispensable for the people of younger generations to proactively think about policies on such subjects as education, employment and assistance in child rearing.
Elections are crucial opportunities for voters to elect their representatives and have their opinions reflected in politics. Voters are called on to cast their precious votes by comparing the campaign pledges and assertions of the different parties and candidates regarding the issues of interest to them.
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, July 5, 2019)
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