Sanae Takaichi, Japan's Prime Minister and leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, announced she will resign immediately if the ruling coalition fails to win a majority in the general election scheduled for February.
During a policy debate with leaders of six major political parties in Tokyo, before the official start of the election campaign, Sanae Takaichi reaffirmed her stance that she would step down immediately if her party did not secure a parliamentary majority in the general election set for February.
This dissolution of parliament paves the way for a general election on 8 February, expected to be a fiercely contested race amid economic pressures, rising living costs, and political trust issues.
In the debate, Takaichi stressed the need for a major fiscal policy shift to strengthen and enrich Japan, focusing on risk management investments and growth-oriented spending, which are already included in the draft budget for the next fiscal year.
However, the early election could delay budget approval amid a still fragile economy and continuously rising prices.
Opposition leaders used the debate platform to criticize the government on living costs; Yoshihiko Noda, co-leader of the Centrist Reform Alliance, proposed cutting the food consumption tax from 8% to 0% to ease citizens' burdens.
Meanwhile, Yuichiro Tamaki, leader of the Democratic Party for the People, stated that increasing citizens' net income still faces many obstacles.
Other parties raised social and security issues, including social insurance reform, foreign labor policies, low birth rates, and Japan’s role on the global stage.
At the same time, Japan faces geopolitical tensions, especially with China, after Takaichi indicated Japan might respond militarily if China acted against Taiwan. There is also pressure from the United States under President Donald Trump for Japan to increase defense spending, although Takaichi has been in office only three months, enjoying about 70% approval after becoming Japan’s first female Prime Minister in October. Nevertheless, the LDP faces ongoing pressure from corruption scandals and past ties to the religious organization known as the Unification Church.
The outcome of this election will determine Sanae Takaichi’s political future and Japan’s direction amid critical economic and security crossroads.
Source:CGTN
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