Osaka mayor goes national

要約

Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto, also head of Osaka Ishin no Kai (Osaka Restoration Association), a local party, Sept. 12 declared the establishment of Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Restoration Party) through the upgrading of the local party to enter national-level politics. The new party reportedly hopes to field 350 to 400 candidates in a coming Lower House election.

Clearly targeting the ruling Democratic Party of Japan and the No. 1 opposition Liberal Democratic Party, Mr. Hashimoto said that his party’s raison d’etre is to provide a third choice for people.

The party has a plank called Ishin Hassaku (Eight Policies for Restoration), a list of more than 200 policy items ranging from a system of governance to economic policy, social welfare, education and diplomacy. These items are more like expressions of ideas than election promises. Mr. Hashimoto said that he will not adopt a manifesto with clear numerical goals and road maps to achieve the goals, as the DPJ did in the 2009 Lower House election, because the task of politicians should be “limited to showing directions.”

The strong point of a manifesto like the DPJ’s is that it enables voters to concretely determine whether the party in question has kept its promises. Mr. Hashimoto’s approach will deprive voters of this opportunity. If his party wins in an election, he may insist that the voters have given his party carte blanche concerning each item of the plank. But how many voters will read each item and completely understand it before casting their ballot?

Mr. Hashimoto’s political style is to target something as an enemy and attack it. The party plank has chosen the war-renouncing Article 9 of the Constitution as such a target and calls for a plebiscite on whether to change it. This is a dangerous move that could undermine the foundation of postwar Japan. Given the international situation surrounding Japan, there is a risk that peoples’ sentiments may be driven more by emotion than good sense.

Mr. Hashimoto will remain the mayor of Osaka, but as party head, he will have the power to control members of his party in the Diet. This means that he may control a sizable portion of the Diet from Osaka without being elected to the Diet. Voters must go beyond this popular mayor’s sound bites and carefully consider the real meaning of what he says.

日本語の抄訳はウィークリ9月22日号のP18に掲載されています。