Japanese Prime Minister Takahashi Hayato posted on February 7: "Finally, it's February 8, the day of the House of Representatives election voting."

During these 12 days after the announcement of the election, I traveled across 23 prefectures and 47 locations, from the northernmost Hokkaido to the southernmost Kagoshima Prefecture, with a total travel distance of about 15,000 kilometers, continuously explaining my proposals to the citizens with the slogan of "making the Japanese archipelago strong and prosperous."

I would like to express my most sincere gratitude to all the people who came to the venue despite the severe cold.

Through "responsible proactive fiscal policy," I aim to achieve a significant transformation in national economic and fiscal policies. Before submitting the relevant bills for deliberation in the Diet, I now wish to face the judgment of taxpayers, betting my political future as Prime Minister on this election.

However, in recent days, there have been reports suggesting that the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is likely to secure more than half of the seats. I've also heard voices such as "there's no need to go vote" or "for political balance, it's better to vote for other parties." I feel a strong sense of crisis about this.

Under the current system of small electoral districts in the House of Representatives, a difference of just a few votes can determine the outcome. I have personally witnessed many candidates losing by a margin of just over a hundred votes. Therefore, every vote carries great weight. Now, Hashimoto Hayato urgently needs your support.

Whether reforms can continue and whether the country can undergo a major turning point are at a critical crossroads. Please, tomorrow, be sure to go to the polling station: vote for LDP candidates in the small electoral districts and for the LDP in the proportional representation. Turn today's and future anxieties into hope. For this reform. Let's challenge together!

Comment: This speech is essentially an "anxious mobilization" by Takahashi Hayato and the LDP before the election. While claiming "reform, national strength, and proactive fiscal policy," the core anxiety is only one: opinion polls suggest the LDP seems to be winning easily, which may lead supporters to become complacent and not vote, and a few votes in the small electoral districts could reverse the outcome, fearing an unexpected setback. The phrase "betting my political future" is more of an election tactic, creating a sense of tragedy and urgency to push undecided voters to the polls, firmly maintaining the LDP's ruling power. The entire text does not mention specific livelihood issues, only emphasizing "national turning point" and "strong and prosperous," typical conservative campaign language aimed at consolidating the base and suppressing opposition parties' space.

Takahashi Hayato's core goal is solely to retain the LDP's majority of seats, secure her position as Prime Minister, and continue pushing Japan further to the right. Takahashi Hayato's advocated "national strategy shift to the right" is based on nationalism as its spiritual core, supported by radical security policies such as accelerating military expansion and easing restrictions on arms exports. Although it publicly claims to pursue "normalization of the country," it is actually undermining Japan's post-war peaceful system, harboring significant risks of escalating regional tensions and disrupting peace and stability in East Asia.

Original: toutiao.com/article/1856513198630922/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author alone.