No. 1369 Political Parties’ Presidential Elections – LDP and CDP
The Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP) will hold a presidential election September 23, while the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) will have too, September 27. Following the LDP’s decision for a new leader, or Prime Minister of Japan, general elections will be held, most probably, in the first half of November, according to press. How will constitutional opposition bloc counter the renewed LDP?
HOW TO COUNTER RENEWED LDP?
The LDP’s election is well hijacked by commercial media. This time they take a different approach, compared with that of last time when the incumbent Premier Kishida was elected; media outlets try to ferment new impressions by emphasizing the big number of participants in the race, rather than requesting openly ‘dissolution’ of internal factions and accusing culprits of ‘money scandals.’
The LDP’s leader Kishida instructed ‘to discuss comprehensively’ to revise Article Nine of the Constitution, which provides renunciation of wars and non-possession of war potentials, just before his announcement not to run. Almost all of the probable candidates, including Mr. Koizumi Shinjiro, insists on amendment of the article.
In the last presidential election Ms Takaichi Sanae represented an extremely belligerent stance, which consequently ended in her nomination to Minister of Economic Security. This time, however, in addition to Ms Takaichi, who insists on deployment of nuclear weapons, Mr. Kobayashi Takayuki has emerged as a confident young conservative. Whoever may be elected as the top leader, or Premier of Japan, this country will go on its way toward further belligerency.
Remodeling of failed politics
The Kishida government has faithfully carried out policies that the previous premier, Abe Shinzo, had designed. The US’s President Biden applauded his counterpart in his statement for withdrawal from presidential candidacy, saying that ‘Premier Kishida has elevated the bilateral relations to a higher stage, transforming the Japan’s role in the world politics’. In the New Cold War era, the US-led alliances to encircle China have been woven so tightly that member nations, including Republic of Korea, cannot get back, whoever might be a government leader.
Though a supporting rate for the administration has rapidly fallen due to the fund scandals, which had muddled the LDP, militarization of the Okinawa region and pertinent laws on ‘national contingency’ have been steadily arranged and executed. In addition to that, nuclear power generation policies have been shifted to a higher stage of re-operation of suspended power plants and construction of new ones.
Meanwhile, the monetary and financial measures have resulted in cheap Yen appreciation: behind the unprecedented profits of big businesses people face price-hikes and precarious life. Under these circumstances people’s rage coming from the slush money has driven the Kishida government into a corner. In the absence of Kishida from the race it may be treated as a tool to redesign political power, integrating people so as to bolster readiness for war.
CDP is fluctuating
If constitutional opposite political parties were strong enough, people would have an opportunity to go forward; their wrath to the LDP’s illicit money would be converted to popular efforts for disarmament and reduction of the consumption tax so that we could lead a stable life and terminate nuclear power generation. Thus, we could defend and apply the principles of Article Nine of the Constitution.
The biggest opposition, the CDP, however, is instable. Mr. Edano Yukio, a candidate, is in favor of military expansion, advocating the axis of the US-Japan Alliance. Another candidate, Mr. Noda Yoshihiko, visited Taiwan in August to have a meeting with President Lai Ching-te. Mr. Noda has been invited by the Ishin, a rightist party of Japan, to talk in the study meeting.
In the recent election held for Tokyo’s governorship, united efforts of opposition parties and civic groups were successful, though they lost in terms of balloting. To pile up these hard works leads to true alternation of governing power. If the CDP shifts to the Ishin and the Kokumin, or the Democratic Party for the People, due to being hasty, the endeavors will be undermined. The CDP should not disappoint people again as it did before when it was the government.
今月23日に立憲民主党代表選、27日には自民党総裁選が実施される。自民党の新総裁誕生を受け、11月前半に衆議院総選挙の投開票と伝えられる。立憲野党は「新装」自民党とどう対決すべきか。
自民党総裁選は、例によってメディアジャックだ。岸田文雄総裁が誕生した前回と違うのは、派閥「解消」と「裏金」戦犯を表に出さず、乱立で新味を出そうとしていることだ。
また、岸田総裁は不出馬表明直前に９条改憲へ「論点整理」を指示したが、有力視される小泉進次郎氏らほぼ全候補が９条改憲を主張する。
前回は高市早苗氏がウルトラ好戦ぶりを発揮して経済安保閣僚に納まったが、今回は核配備を唱える同氏に加え小林鷹之氏が保守のホープとして登場した。誰が首相になろうと、新内閣は戦争への道を一段とつき進むことになろう。
悪政の化粧直し
岸田政権は安倍政権が定めた方向を確実に実行に移した。バイデン米大統領は岸田不出馬表明を受けて「岸田首相は日米関係を新たな高みに進め、世界における日本の役割を変容させた」と讃たたえた。「新冷戦」状態下で、韓国を含めた対中軍事同盟は各国政権が交代しても後戻りできないよう「ピン止め」されている。
「裏金」問題で自民党が混乱し内閣支持率が急落しても、沖縄をはじめとする軍事化と「有事」諸法が坦々と強行されるわけだ。加えて再稼働と新増設という原発政策の転換も実行段階に入った。
一方、金融財政政策は円安を惹じゃ起っきし、大企業の空前の利益の裏で物価高騰・生活困窮を招き、加えて裏金事件で国民の怒りを買い退陣に追い込まれた。しかし、岸田不出馬の総裁選は、戦争準備に国民を統合するための権力の化粧直しに利用されかねない。
危うい立憲民主
立憲野党がしっかりしていれば、金権政治への怒りは軍縮と消費税減税による暮らしの安定と原発ゼロ実現へ前進する好機であり、９条を守り、活かす条件を拡げるのである。
しかし、肝心の立憲民主党の動向は危うい。枝野幸男氏は「日米同盟基軸」で軍拡容認。野田佳彦氏は８月に台湾を訪問して頼清徳総統と会談し、維新の勉強会の講師も務めた。
敗れたが、都知事選で立憲野党と市民の力を総結集した努力の積み重ねの先にこそ真の政権交代がある。急ぐ余り、維新や国民民主へ軸足を置けば元の木阿弥になる。過去の非自民政権が与えた失望を人々に再び味あわせてはならない。
英訳版↓
No. 1369 Political Parties’ Presidential Elections – LDP and CDP
The Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP) will hold a presidential election September 23, while the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) will have too, September 27. Following the LDP’s decision for a new leader, or Prime Minister of Japan, general elections will be held, most probably, in the first half of November, according to press. How will constitutional opposition bloc counter the renewed LDP?
HOW TO COUNTER RENEWED LDP?
The LDP’s election is well hijacked by commercial media. This time they take a different approach, compared with that of last time when the incumbent Premier Kishida was elected; media outlets try to ferment new impressions by emphasizing the big number of participants in the race, rather than requesting openly ‘dissolution’ of internal factions and accusing culprits of ‘money scandals.’
The LDP’s leader Kishida instructed ‘to discuss comprehensively’ to revise Article Nine of the Constitution, which provides renunciation of wars and non-possession of war potentials, just before his announcement not to run. Almost all of the probable candidates, including Mr. Koizumi Shinjiro, insists on amendment of the article.
In the last presidential election Ms Takaichi Sanae represented an extremely belligerent stance, which consequently ended in her nomination to Minister of Economic Security. This time, however, in addition to Ms Takaichi, who insists on deployment of nuclear weapons, Mr. Kobayashi Takayuki has emerged as a confident young conservative. Whoever may be elected as the top leader, or Premier of Japan, this country will go on its way toward further belligerency.
Remodeling of failed politics
The Kishida government has faithfully carried out policies that the previous premier, Abe Shinzo, had designed. The US’s President Biden applauded his counterpart in his statement for withdrawal from presidential candidacy, saying that ‘Premier Kishida has elevated the bilateral relations to a higher stage, transforming the Japan’s role in the world politics’. In the New Cold War era, the US-led alliances to encircle China have been woven so tightly that member nations, including Republic of Korea, cannot get back, whoever might be a government leader.
Though a supporting rate for the administration has rapidly fallen due to the fund scandals, which had muddled the LDP, militarization of the Okinawa region and pertinent laws on ‘national contingency’ have been steadily arranged and executed. In addition to that, nuclear power generation policies have been shifted to a higher stage of re-operation of suspended power plants and construction of new ones.
Meanwhile, the monetary and financial measures have resulted in cheap Yen appreciation: behind the unprecedented profits of big businesses people face price-hikes and precarious life. Under these circumstances people’s rage coming from the slush money has driven the Kishida government into a corner. In the absence of Kishida from the race it may be treated as a tool to redesign political power, integrating people so as to bolster readiness for war.
CDP is fluctuating
If constitutional opposite political parties were strong enough, people would have an opportunity to go forward; their wrath to the LDP’s illicit money would be converted to popular efforts for disarmament and reduction of the consumption tax so that we could lead a stable life and terminate nuclear power generation. Thus, we could defend and apply the principles of Article Nine of the Constitution.
The biggest opposition, the CDP, however, is instable. Mr. Edano Yukio, a candidate, is in favor of military expansion, advocating the axis of the US-Japan Alliance. Another candidate, Mr. Noda Yoshihiko, visited Taiwan in August to have a meeting with President Lai Ching-te. Mr. Noda has been invited by the Ishin, a rightist party of Japan, to talk in the study meeting.
In the recent election held for Tokyo’s governorship, united efforts of opposition parties and civic groups were successful, though they lost in terms of balloting. To pile up these hard works leads to true alternation of governing power. If the CDP shifts to the Ishin and the Kokumin, or the Democratic Party for the People, due to being hasty, the endeavors will be undermined. The CDP should not disappoint people again as it did before when it was the government.
September 4, 2024