- 14 Mar 2002
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Less than two weeks to the 2021 Lower House elections on 31 October, the parties started positioning themselves. And clenching their fists. Excellent collage by JT:
It becomes more evident that Kishida is no different from the usual LDP stock: he backpedalled on "wealth distribution", he supports nuclear energy, opposes "progressive notions", such as LGBT rights and allowing married couples to keep separate names. His "new capitalism" keeps supporting corporations, but not the middle class, counting on the same trickle-down effect as Abenomics. Only that the trickle-down never happened. And increasing taxes on capital gains? Of course not.
However, the opposition hasn't done their homework either:
Meanwhile, some labour unions, clashing with the opposition's policies on nuclear energy, will shift their support to the ruling LDP/Komeito coalition.
And, last but not least, only 17,7% of all candidates standing in Japan's House of Representatives election are female.
LDP, opposition clash over economy, COVID in election campaign
Japan's ruling and opposition parties clashed over the handling of the economy and coronavirus response on Wednesday, as campaigning for the Oct 31 general election heated up, with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida fending off criticism over the government's failure to address the income gap...
japantoday.com
It becomes more evident that Kishida is no different from the usual LDP stock: he backpedalled on "wealth distribution", he supports nuclear energy, opposes "progressive notions", such as LGBT rights and allowing married couples to keep separate names. His "new capitalism" keeps supporting corporations, but not the middle class, counting on the same trickle-down effect as Abenomics. Only that the trickle-down never happened. And increasing taxes on capital gains? Of course not.
However, the opposition hasn't done their homework either:
Edano asked why Kishida was urging private companies to raise salaries when politics is the reason behind the low salaries of such care workers, saying the wages "can be raised if the government decides."
Meanwhile, some labour unions, clashing with the opposition's policies on nuclear energy, will shift their support to the ruling LDP/Komeito coalition.
Traditionally, the electric power companies have supported candidates from the ruling coalition while the unions affiliated with such companies backed opposition party candidates. But with the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan including a plank in its campaign platform calling for a move away from nuclear energy, now even the unions are shifting their support to candidates of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. [...] One lawmaker running in a district where a CDP candidate is also competing said the support was likely a sign that the LDP's nuclear energy policy is coming across as more realistic. Another LDP lawmaker sought and gained the support of the local chapter of Kansai Electric's labor union. This is the first time the two LDP lawmakers have received support from the union.
And, last but not least, only 17,7% of all candidates standing in Japan's House of Representatives election are female.
The government has poured effort into the active participation of women in politics. The Cabinet approved a Fifth Basic Plan for Gender Equality at the end of 2020, which aimed to increase the proportion of female candidates in national elections to 35%. Nevertheless, women's participation in politics has not advanced. Among the two parties in the ruling coalition, the percentage of female candidates for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) stands at 9.8% (33 people), and for the party's junior coalition partner Komeito, the rate is just 7.5% (four people). Among the opposition parties, 18.3% (44 people) of Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP) candidates are women, as are 35.4% (46 people) of Japanese Communist Party candidates, and 29.6% (eight people) Democratic Party for the People candidates. The LDP's low proportion of female candidates apparently stems from the party's practice of giving preferential treatment to incumbent legislators. A total of 256 of the party's candidates, or 76.1%, held seats in the last parliament, while newcomers account for just 21.4%.
Despite gender equality law, less than 18% of candidates in Japan election are women - The Mainichi
TOKYO -- Just 186 of the 1,051 candidates standing in Japan's House of Representatives election this month, or 17.7%, are women -- on par with the low
mainichi.jp