Reference News Network, September 22 - According to the Japanese Yomiuri Shimbun, on September 22, the election for the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) of Japan was officially launched, marking the beginning of a 12-day campaign to select a successor to Prime Minister Ishiba. It is expected that five candidates will run, and issues such as rising prices and party reform will be the focus of the campaign. The voting will take place on October 4.
The five candidates who have entered the race are former Secretary-General Makiko Taniguchi, former Minister for Economic Security Takahiro Kobayashi, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hironobu Kuroda, former Minister for Economic Security Hayato Sonoda, and Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Shinzo Abe.
All five candidates participated in the previous leadership election last September. It is generally believed that this election will mainly be a competition between Sonoda and Abe, who ranked first and third respectively in the first round of voting in the previous leadership election. However, the outcome largely depends on their performance in debates.
The report states that Taniguchi proposes using a special allocation of tens of billions of yen to promote policies to address rising prices. Kobayashi's main policy is to implement a fixed proportion income tax reduction for working population. Kuroda aims to achieve an annual increase of 1% in take-home pay. Sonoda advocates institutionalizing a combination of tax reductions and cash subsidies. Abe plans to reform the income tax system, linking it to increases in prices and wages, to promote real income growth.
In terms of LDP reforms, all five candidates have advocated responding to public demands and improving the transparency of political funds. (Translated by Liu Lin)
Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7552807523720446515/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author. Please express your opinion by clicking the [Up/Down] buttons below.