Kishida faces his first big test as PM in Sunday's elections

‘a coronavirus-battered economy’ - hey that’s this government and no one else’s fault in this country. No one asked them to ban restaurants from selling alcohol, perhaps one of the most stupid things a government has ever done. Plus the rest of the restrictions. Driven the economy into the ground and killed loads of people that way for a virus which is a natural agent that humans have had to live with since the beginning anyway.

Economies around the world have been affected, not just Japan.

Many countries did the exact same thing Japan did when it comes to shutdown and lockdowns.

Japan has been among the success stories when it comes to handling Covid19.

People's life's are more important then the short term economic benefit that your talking about.

Sir, if you are going to wear a mask, please cover your nose completely.

Someone here may have slept through the LDP’s inept handling of the majority of domestic issues from 2019 - 2021 and lack of support for small business !!

- @ReasonandWisdomNippon 7:06am: “People's life's are more important then the short term economic benefit that your talking about.” -

It is going to be a close match.

Appealing to the core 'mature' male vote with that mask position...

In his first big test as prime minister, Fumio Kishida's ruling party is expected to lose seats in Sunday's national parliamentary elections, while still maintaining a majority.

As with Biden in the US folding on the billionaire tax in the face of all-powerful corporate interests (the President or PM is the McDonald's manager you complain to about bad service, you are never talking to the real owners) Kishida already failed his test when he backtracked about his "new capitalism" and taxation proposals.

Economies around the world have been affected, not just Japan.

Many countries did the exact same thing Japan did when it comes to shutdown and lockdowns.

Japan has been among the success stories when it comes to handling Covid19.

Seems line the Japanese know no boundaries when it comes to success. South Korea and Taiwan didn't go into lockdowns and still performed better than Japan. Heck, even Australia and NZ locked up and still performed better than Japan economically. And the fact is, if it wasn't for the vaccines, Japan would be in a meltdown unseen in the first countries. Success? Rear end.

Hit the road Jack!

Many countries did the exact same thing Japan did when it comes to shutdown and lockdowns. Japan has been among the success stories when it comes to handling Covid19.People's life's are more important then the short term economic benefit that your talking about.

Agreed. Certainly people can just eat cake for a couple years, can't they?

Meanwhile other leaders are gathering in Italy for the G20 and in Glasgow for COP26.

Two masks that don't cover his nose and two microphones next to each other ?

Oh dear

I do not see how Japan did a wonderful job at responding to or handling the coronovirus pandemic.

Just because infections were not as many does not mean its because of how the government dealt with the situation or that Japanese are somehow superior in nature.

Olympics ring a bell ?

Almost two years in to this pandemic and the "leader" brought in to distract from the woeful inadequacies of Suga still doesn't know hw to wear a mask.

And yet, with all those Japanese taxpayers dead through LDP incompetence, the LDP will still retain its feudal monopoly.

Democracy just didn't happen here.

Kishida's face was the big test !

Not kishida faces big test.

That's correct democracy in Japan isn't really democracy now is it.

Hopefully his last. The only test the LDP passed was the creativity one. North Korea fires a missile, Russia and China circle Japan and 5000 to 20 or so Corona cases since the Olympics, all magically disappeared. Government and media propaganda at its finest.

Someone here may have slept through the LDP’s inept handling of the majority of domestic issues from 2019 - 2021 and lack of support for small business !!

This election should not be an evaluation of the response to Covid-19. The LDP puts pressure on media not to report news or assessments not in line with LDP policies. Currently Japan’s average income per person is below the level of South Korea. Ten or twenty years ago, it was far higher than South Korea’s. Abenomics and the economic policy of Japan is just a catchy phrase. Kishida and the next prime minister are all the same. This party is not the answer for Japan.

How exactly is this a "big test"? The election is already in the bag, just like it always is in Japan!

A new era with Kishida....OUT

Why bother wearing that mask? Does he breathe through his chin?

I'm Japanese, and I voted for the LDP in this election as well because it's so much fun to see foreigners complaining about everything in Japan, as they do in every JT article.

“The problem is that opposition parties have not been able to present their grand vision of a future society” to become a viable leadership change option.

The lefty block just seems irresponsible in what they are proposing - no better than the LDP’s irresponsibility.

There are not huge differences between the ruling and opposition blocs on Japan's basic economic and security policies.

Exactly.

Only Isshin stands for something other than more baramaki election spending promises, and seems there support has increased by 3 times. Some hope for the future.

TomoyaToday  03:35 pm JST

I'm Japanese, and I voted for the LDP in this election as well because it's so much fun to see foreigners complaining about everything in Japan, as they do in every JT article.

I hope you had a better reason than "annoying foreign people." Seems unlikely though, given the stuff that LDP supporters generally come out with.

fxgaiToday  04:58 pm JST

Only Isshin stands for something other than more baramaki election spending promises, and seems there support has increased by 3 times.

What are their views on historical revisionism?

Some hope for the future.

I really don't think so. There will only be hope when one other opposition party has a chance of winning a majority of Diet seats by itself, and I doubt that party is going to be Ishin.

What are their views on historical revisionism?

An election issue you think?

From what I see in polling it looks like Isshin is going to be the big winner relative to where they stand now in terms of seats.

The lefty parties have done nothing for decades, so if it’s not the new, upcoming Isshin party that has had success in Osaka, it’s another party that doesn’t exist yet methinks.

fxgaiToday  05:52 pm JST

"What are their views on historical revisionism?"

An election issue you think?

Probably not but I have a hard time mustering up much enthusiasm for morally repugnant people who live in the same right-wing fantasy land as the LDP.

From what I see in polling it looks like Isshin is going to be the big winner relative to where they stand now in terms of seats.

Then what happens? I don't mind if that's at the LDP's expense but if they're basically taking seats from other opposition parties and the LDP's majority doesn't shrink by that much it doesn't matter what Ishin's policies are. The LDP administration will be able to keep on ignoring them.

The lefty parties have done nothing for decades...

Without being in government for most of the past seven decades what could they do?

...so if it’s not the new, upcoming Isshin party that has had success in Osaka, it’s another party that doesn’t exist yet methinks.

I think the party with the best chance of seriously challenging the LDP is the CDPJ, various problems it has notwithstanding. It's bigger, better established across the country, it's gained seats and absorbed most of the old DPP. Ishin will pretty much have to win over most of its supporters and I don't see a small right-wing party pulling that off.

Would seem unbiased & encouraging to see ALL the candidates highlighted in photos & stories this election weekend but it appears only one particular party’s member is depicted ?

Without being in government for most of the past seven decades what could they do?

You don’t think that offering nothing much as an alternative has something to do with that?

And Japan did do well as a country during the Showa era. When the lefty parties had their chances since during Heisei, they blew them.

Ishin will pretty much have to win over most of its supporters and I don't see a small right-wing party pulling that off.

Oh, it’s from the LDP that I see Isshin as possibly winning seats from over time, not from the lefty parties.

Even Isshin as an opposition has been criticizing the lefty parties this election.

I like that they have not attempted to collaborate together with parties having different policies purely for the sake of electioneering purposes, instead seeking to grow their vote based on their policy proposals, rather than form allegiances with other groups like back in the Sengoku era.

fxgaiToday  08:46 am JST

Without being in government for most of the past seven decades what could they do?

You don’t think that offering nothing much as an alternative has something to do with that?

Something, but it's far from being the only reason.

And Japan did do well as a country during the Showa era. When the lefty parties had their chances since during Heisei, they blew them.

So? Different times, different people, different circumstances. If blowing chances is an adequate reason not to vote for a party explain how Shinzo Abe got to be prime minister for eight years after blowing his first chance.

"Ishin will pretty much have to win over most of its supporters and I don't see a small right-wing party pulling that off."

Oh, it’s from the LDP that I see Isshin as possibly winning seats from over time, not from the lefty parties.

The LDP could get its act together and stage a big comeback like it did in 2012. Who's going to want to switch to another conservative party if they do? The CDP is also projected to gain seats, and that's going to make them look like a more viable alternative to the LDP.

Even Isshin as an opposition has been criticizing the lefty parties this election.

Well, obviously. If they all saw eye to eye they would all be in the same party.

I like that they have not attempted to collaborate together with parties having different policies purely for the sake of electioneering purposes, instead seeking to grow their vote based on their policy proposals, rather than form allegiances with other groups like back in the Sengoku era.

Yet what's going to happen if they win enough seats to weaken the LDP? There's no way they're seizing power on their own until they have enough candidates to win a decisive majority, whenever that is, so their best hope for enacting any of their policies is by collaboration with an ideologically similar party. That means that the LDP.

Who's going to want to switch to another conservative party if they do? 

Huh.

Isshin is a reform party.

The conservative parties are the LDP and CPDJ - the only difference is in what they want to overspend taxpayer money on.

The Isshin party is campaigning on reform of the country, not of keeping things the way they have been.

ideologically similar party. That means that the LDP.

could be on some issues, but I don’t see much of that myself, as a fan…

fxgaiToday  02:14 pm JST

"Who's going to want to switch to another conservative party if they do? "

Huh.

Isshin is a reform party.

Yet you see them taking votes away from the LDP, so doesn't that mean you see them as appealing more to conservative voters than anyone else?

"ideologically similar party. That means that the LDP."

could be on some issues, but I don’t see much of that myself, as a fan…

So you don't think they would consider joining a coalition with the LDP if it fell short of winning enough seats together with Komeito to form a majority?

tomoya:

I'm Japanese, and I voted for the LDP in this election as well because it's so much fun to see foreigners complaining about everything in Japan, as they do in every JT article.

Yeah, it sure is fun, because this is your country and not mine! I'm sure glad the LDP won't ever preside over my own country.

Yet you see them taking votes away from the LDP, so doesn't that mean you see them as appealing more to conservative voters than anyone else?

Being a reform party and being a conservative (“same as before”) party are the opposite.

Those getting sick of LDP could vote for another LDP-like big government spending, money spraying party, or they could vote for reform, and actual change.

Recall Abe talked about doing reforms, but never really did? Koizumi talked about doing stuff too but only tinkered in the bigger scheme of things, with privatization of Japan Post. These were popular calls, but trying to do reforms from inside the LDP is tough. Popular Kono is known as a reformer but was defeated by the dull, boring, clueless Kishida. That’s what the LDP. Kono is in the wrong party.

Isshin wants to actually do reforms, and they aren’t the LDP with all its vested interests so they would have less the prevent them from doing so.

So you don't think they would consider joining a coalition with the LDP if it fell short of winning enough seats together with Komeito to form a majority?

The might collaborate on some issues, but look at the way that Komeito operates - demanding 100,000 yen be sprayed to every person in Japan.

Isshin would gain nothing by simply joining a coalition with the big spenders of the other parties who never ever ever enact any significant reforms, unless they could win policy concessions. LDP + Isshin without Komeito to spray money around might be something…

But a vote for Isshin is a vote for actual change, reform. This would be tough for the LDP to swallow, because for example, Isshin wants to reform the agricultural sector, allowing companies to enter the market like any normal industry. Could the LDP swallow that? Depends on how much they want to cling to power. In the end, that’s what they crave…

Unfortunately, a coalition govt would be at best a compromise and thus reforms could be piecemeal and border on the tinkering, ineffective side of the scale.

I would prefer Isshin to stay away from the LDP, and wait for a chance in future to more completely control the situation.

I see early results suggesting the LDP will lose 36 seats and Isshin will gain 34 seats, so this is a very nice result from my perspective, although just a first step.

(It also suggests that the LDP can’t lose votes to the CDPJ and Japan commies. This will be disheartening for the lefty lovers perhaps, but even Isshin has some lefty style policies, such as Basic Income. It’s not “tax the rich and spend trillions on the poor”, but beggars can’t be choosers.

A headline suggests Ishihara Nobuteru has lost his seat in Tokyo (not sure to whom) but this is a good sign too.