News about Japan

[Tom MoodyParticipant]

Ishiba on the counteroffensive in parliament’s final rush

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is gradually mounting a counteroffensive as the parliamentary session comes to a close, energized by a recent bump in popularity and weakening momentum for a no-confidence motion among opposition parties.
This week, Ishiba used two opportunities — a debate with party leaders on Wednesday and a meeting between ruling and opposition parties on Thursday — to attempt to stage a show of bipartisan unity.

Ahead of an expected meeting between Ishiba and U.S. President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the upcoming Group of Seven summit in Alberta, Canada, opposition leaders responded to a request for talks initially put forward by the government.

“Under circumstances that we could describe as a national crisis, it is essential for the ruling coalition and opposition parties to come together to discuss and respond appropriately with a bipartisan approach,” Ishiba told reporters after the meeting on Thursday.

In the meeting, he shared updates on the status of tariff negotiations and expounded on the government’s approach, Ishiba added.

With chief tariff negotiator Ryosei Akazawa heading to Washington on Friday for a sixth round of talks with the Trump administration, pressure is mounting on Japan to secure a deal with the U.S.

However, despite the urgency of that matter, Ishiba may still be letting out a sigh of relief as two surveys conducted last weekend showed an uptick of 6 percentage points or more in the government’s approval ratings.

Confronted by the leaders of the three largest opposition parties in parliament Wednesday evening, Ishiba highlighted his government’s recent achievements — in what sounded like a rehearsal ahead of the upcoming Upper House election.

He pushed back on criticism that he had no plans to address the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, citing the cash handouts included in the recent government budgets, as well as his efforts to lower the prices of rice and gasoline.

“The government is strongly determined to do everything in its power to overcome this period of rising prices at any cost,” Ishiba said after being questioned by Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan leader Yoshihiko Noda on the economy.

For his part, Noda is facing a real conundrum over how to play the best card in his party’s deck — a no-confidence motion against the government.

The CDP is the only opposition party with enough seats to submit a no-confidence motion in parliament. However, recent cooperation with the ruling Liberal Democratic Party-Komeito coalition over a hotly contested reform of the pension system suggested the CDP might refrain from making such a bold move.

During Wednesday’s debate, Noda spent the 30 minutes at his disposal questioning Ishiba on the economy and his stance on the tariff negotiations — making no mention of a no-confidence motion.

Over the past few weeks, Noda has kept mum when questioned about the motion, and the CDP remains divided on the subject.

Several media outlets suggested Ishiba would be ready to dissolve the Lower House even before a no-confidence motion could be voted on in parliament, but Noda’s indecision might also stop him from ever making that move, the Asahi Shimbun reported Thursday.

A recent agreement between the ruling coalition and Nippon Ishin no Kai, the second-largest opposition party in parliament, on insurance premium cuts has made it even harder for the CDP to round up support for a motion. Without Nippon Ishin’s approval, a no-confidence motion wouldn’t pass the Lower House.

When asked about his meeting with party leaders, Noda voiced moderate satisfaction.

“I had requested a meeting several times and finally it took place,” Noda said. “It was a bit short, but the very fact we were able to have it is meaningful.”

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