Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party banking on Oct 27 snap election to rejuvenate country

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TOKYO: As Japan gears up for its Oct 27 snap election, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) will run on a platform to rejuvenate the country at a time of crisis. 
 
But a slush fund scandal could cast a shadow on the party’s election campaign, said observers. 
 
Official campaigning for the 465 seats in the Lower House of Japan’s parliament kicked off on Tuesday (Oct 15). 

SEEKING A FRESH MANDATE 

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who dissolved the Lower House of the National Diet on Oct 9, hopes to appeal to voters during the 12-day campaign period through his pledge to “recreate Japan”.
 
Last Saturday, at a debate among political party leaders at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo, he painted a picture of the country facing serious domestic and international challenges. 
 
“Japan’s security environment is the most severe,” said Mr Isihba, who was recently elected as the president of the LDP.
 
“The population is falling drastically. The public is suffering from high consumer prices for the first time in 30 years. We need to go a step further to end deflation.”
 
However, the opposition has questioned whether the LDP is the right choice to lead Japan through these tough times.
 
Former prime minister Yoshihiko Noda, leader of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, has hit out at how quickly Mr Ishiba called an election and dissolved parliament, before deliberating an additional budget for disaster recovery in the stricken Noto Peninsula.
 
The area suffered heavy flooding last month, while still reeling from a devastating earthquake at the start of the year.

ATTEMPT TO “CLEANSE THE PARTY”

Mr Noda is also displeased with the LDP’s incomplete investigation of its slush fund scandal. 
 
“The LDP’s leader was replaced; the prime minister has changed. But its politics is not changing. A change of government is the needed political reform,” he said. 
 
His party is aiming for the opposition to unseat the ruling coalition at the coming election. 
 
According to media polls, the majority of the public are unhappy with the ruling party’s handling of its political funds scandal, which came to light late last year.
 
Even the LDP’s coalition partner, the Komeito party, has called for political reform. Yet, Komeito is still endorsing LDP members involved in the scandal, a move questioned by the opposition.
 
Komeito president Keiichi Ishii said these lawmakers have “thoroughly explained to local electorates and promised not to repeat the mistakes. 
 
“Based on those, we consider what people on the ground wish for,” he added. 
 
Dr Tomohiko Taniguchi, a special adviser at think tank Fujitsu Future Studies Center, said the snap election is likely an attempt “to cleanse the party”. 
 
“If the party wins, the party leaders, including Ishiba, may believe that it would wipe the slate clean of any fundraising scandals that have haunted the party for some time,” he told CNA938 on Monday. 

PUBLIC DISTRUST TOWARDS POLITICS

Some opposition parties have also called for the government to take a stronger stance on nuclear deterrence.
 
Japan has not endorsed the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons – a comprehensive set of prohibitions on participating in any nuclear weapon activities – as the country is under the United States’ nuclear umbrella.
 
This comes even as Japanese organisation Nihon Hidankyo – a grassroots movement of atomic bomb survivors from Hiroshima and Nagasaki calling for a nuclear-free world – clinched the Nobel Peace Prize last Friday. 
 
Mr Ishiba’s handling of relations between Japan and China is also being closely watched.
 
At the debate, Mr Ishiba said he will speak up for his country’s sovereignty, but ruled out confrontation as he believes it is meaningless.
 
Dr Taniguchi, a specially appointed professor at the University of Tsukuba, said there is a strong sense of distrust toward politics among voters. 
 
“Political apathy is likely to lower voter turnout,” he noted, adding that Japan’s ruling coalition is expected to be re-elected.
 
“Public opinion polls do not suggest that voters wish for the LDP to lose its majority or for the opposition to take power. The largest opposition party remains unpopular, and voters still doubt its ability to govern,” added Dr Taniguchi. 
 
“However, the desire to punish the LDP is likely stronger than usual. As a result, the Ishiba administration would be weakened.

“This will make it difficult to achieve the stable political and economic governance that voters are truly seeking, presenting a significant dilemma for the electorate.”