LDP Presidential Election: Lawyer Noriko Miwa Questions Candidates’ Policies

On September 8, lawyer Noriko Miwa appeared live on TBS’s “Sunday Morning” and questioned the policies being advocated by candidates in the LDP presidential election. The election, with nominations announced on September 12 and voting on September 27, has six candidates vying for the top spot.

The candidates, including former Minister of State for Economic and Security Takayuki Kobayashi, former Secretary-General Shigeru Ishiba, Minister of Digital Affairs Taro Kono, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi, and former Minister of the Environment Junichiro Koizumi, have begun to debate their policies.

Ishiba has proposed increasing the financial income tax rate to strengthen taxation on the wealthy, while Motegi has suggested abolishing policy activity expenses. Koizumi, on the other hand, has proposed introducing a system of optional separate surnames for married couples, a move that has drawn strong opposition within the party.

However, many of these policies are ones that opposition parties have been calling for for some time. Miwa expressed his skepticism, saying, “When I watched the presidential election, everyone was saying, ‘Well, then why haven’t you done this until now?’ The opposition parties were pointing out what people were saying. So there are a lot of people who are saying that the opposition parties were right.”

Miwa’s comments raise questions about the significance of the LDP continuing to hold power. He appealed to voters, saying, “Then why the LDP? I think everyone should ask that question.” He also expressed his doubts about the candidates’ ability to implement their proposed policies, saying, “Furthermore, I don’t know if they can do it or not, but now they are fighting the presidential election saying they will do something that the opposition parties have been asking them to do for a long time… I really wonder who they are doing this for.”

One issue that has been largely absent from the policy debate is the World Peace Unification Family (formerly the Unification Church). Miwa pointed out, “Of course there’s the slush fund issue, but I think the Unification Church issue, which came up even before the slush fund issue, is also being swept under the rug.” He emphasized the need for clarity on this issue, saying, “Regarding that issue as well, he should clarify what he is going to do as a leader, and I feel that this is not being made clear.”