Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi\u2019s envisioned enhanced security framework was placed front and center in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party\u2019s campaign pledges for the Feb. 8 Lower House election.<\/p>\n
\u201cComplex crises, such as attempts to change the status quo by force, have become the norm around the world,\u201d Takayuki Kobayashi, chairman of the LDP\u2019s Policy Research Council told a news conference to announce the party\u2019s manifesto on Jan. 21. \u201cWe will establish a system capable of responding to a new era and defend Japan to the end.\u201d<\/p>\n
The LDP platform, titled \u201cMaking the Japanese Archipelago Strong and Prosperous,\u201d is built around five pillars: the economy, regional revitalization, diplomacy and national security, social security and constitutional revision.<\/p>\n
It also incorporates policies set out in the coalition agreement concluded with Nippon Ishin (Japan Innovation Party) in October.<\/p>\n
While opposition parties are calling for a consumption tax cut, the LDP pledged to \u201caccelerate consideration\u201d on exempting food and beverage items from the tax for two years.<\/p>\n
The LDP proposed that funding sources and an implementation schedule will be discussed at a national council, to which opposition parties will be invited.<\/p>\n
It did not specify when the measure would be implemented or how it would be financed.<\/p>\n
In diplomacy and security, the LDP noted China\u2019s military buildup and North Korea\u2019s nuclear weapons development. The party said it will revise within the year the three key national security documents, including the National Security Strategy, ahead of schedule.<\/p>\n
It also pledged to abolish provisions that restrict the types of defense equipment that may be exported to five categories.<\/p>\n
The manifesto said the LDP will strengthen the government\u2019s intelligence\u2011gathering and analysis capabilities by creating a National Intelligence Bureau that directly reports to the prime minister\u2019s office, as well as establishing an external intelligence agency.<\/p>\n
With Tokyo-Beijing ties strained over Takaichi\u2019s remarks on a Taiwan contingency, the LDP platform said Japan will \u201cseek to build a constructive and stable relationship\u201d with China, while \u201cresponding to provocative actions calmly and resolutely.\u201d<\/p>\n
Under Takaichi\u2019s mantra of \u201cresponsible proactive fiscal policy,\u201d the LDP pledged to drive economic growth through \u201ccrisis management investment,\u201d an approach that promotes joint public-private outlays to address risks and social challenges.<\/p>\n
As for policy on foreign nationals, an issue under discussion within the government and ruling coalition, the LDP said it will review laws and rules concerning foreign ownership and acquisition of real estate to \u201cdispel public concerns.\u201d<\/p>\n
The party said it will pursue legislation for broader use of maiden names as common-law aliases, instead of adopting an optional system that allows married couples to use separate surnames.<\/p>\n
The optional system is increasingly supported within the business community and elsewhere.<\/p>\n
Nippon Ishin also released its campaign pledges on Jan. 21.<\/p>\n
Like its larger coalition partner, Nippon Ishin called for strengthening Japan\u2019s security framework, including the early revision of the three national security documents and the removal of the five-category restriction on defense equipment exports.<\/p>\n
Nippon Ishin\u2019s manifesto also focused on policies such as reducing social insurance premiums and establishing a secondary capital capable of serving as a backup for Tokyo\u2019s functions during disasters and other emergencies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi\u2019s envisioned enhanced security framework was placed front and center in the ruling Liberal Democratic…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":422377,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[8768,4,450,451,3471,3,111,452,453],"class_list":["post-422376","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-breaking-news","tag-asahi-shimbun","tag-breaking-news","tag-breakingnews","tag-headlines","tag-japan","tag-news","tag-politics","tag-top-stories","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/422376","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=422376"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/422376\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/422377"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=422376"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=422376"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=422376"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}