JAPAN TODAY



 

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida vowed Tuesday to prioritize policy aimed at surging energy and food prices exacerbated by Russia's war in Ukraine as the nation gears up for next month's upper house election.

In a policy debate involving party leaders ahead of the July 10 House of Councillors election, Kishida said his government is not considering lowering the consumption tax rate from the current 10 percent or seeking a change to the ultraeasy monetary policy employed by the Bank of Japan.

"I will protect the lives of the people in Japan in the face of key issues, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine and rising prices," said Kishida, who doubles as the leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.

Pointing out that the price increases are mainly seen in the energy and food sectors, he said it is crucial to focus policies on such areas.

Kishida also stressed the importance of maintaining stable and constructive relations with China, which he said are important "not only for each other but also for the peace and stability of the region and the international community."

He took a positive stance on a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, with whom he last spoke in October, saying, "Dialogue matters."

As for South Korea, Kishida said Tokyo and Seoul "cannot move forward" unless they see progress in resolving issues such as compensation demands from South Koreans for their labor rendered under Japan's 1910-1945 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula.

He also pledged to take the lead in reforming the U.N. Security Council, whose dysfunction was exposed by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Kenta Izumi, leader of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, criticized the government and the BOJ for not taking action against a weak yen and called for lowering the consumption tax rate and wheat prices to mitigate the impact of rising prices on people's lives.

"We cannot leave rising prices as they are," Izumi said, arguing that the central bank's monetary policy should be reconsidered.

Meanwhile, Yuichiro Tamaki, head of the opposition Democratic Party for the People, said the debate over price increases has been too focused on monetary policy and that more fiscal measures should be taken.

Natsuo Yamaguchi, leader of Komeito, the junior coalition partner of the LDP, questioned Izumi's call for reducing the consumption tax to 5 percent, saying revenues from the tax have been earmarked to finance the country's swelling social security costs.

In the election, 125 of the 248 seats will be up for grabs, of which 50 will be chosen under the proportional representation system and the rest from electoral districts that are largely based on prefectures.

A tally by Kyodo News shows more than 530 people planning to run in the election.



© KYODO