2026 POLLS: Security Policy Becomes Key Campaign Issue

Tokyo, Jan. 29 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s push to overhaul the country’s security policy is a major point of contention in the campaigning for the Feb. 8 election for the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of parliament. Takaichi’s ruling bloc seeks to promote the security policy overhaul in the first national election since her Liberal Democratic Party switched its coalition partner to the Japan Innovation Party in October. The opposition Centrist Reform Alliance seeks to distinguish itself from what it views as the coalition’s hawkish policies, while advocating a “realistic approach” to national security. “We’ll push a major shift in security policy,” Takaichi said at a debate of party leaders hosted by the Japan National Press Club on Monday, referring to the LDP’s campaigning. The party’s policy pledges are more conservative than those adopted under her predecessor, Shigeru Ishiba. They call for resolutely confronting real threats, citing China’s military buildup, North Korea’s nuclear and missile development and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The LDP advocates revising Japan’s three key defense documents by the end of the year to include measures to deal with new methods of warfare, ensure combat sustainability and respond to threats in the Pacific Ocean. It also aims to abolish existing rules limiting defense equipment exports to items in five categories such as rescue and transportation, in order to promote arms exports. The JIP, which considers itself the accelerator in the ruling coalition, is even more hawkish. The party calls for shifting the country’s strictly defense-oriented policy to “proactive defense,” and for jointly owning a nuclear-powered submarine with the United States. It also looks to begin discussions on expanding deterrence, including through nuclear sharing, and proposes reintroducing state-run arms factories in a bid to strengthen domestic equipment production. The Centrist Reform Alliance, newly formed by the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and Komeito, a former LDP partner, is presenting a “dovish” alternative to the ruling bloc’s ambitions. The new party considers hotly debated national security laws, which allow Japan to exercise its right to collective self-defense, to be constitutional, a policy shift after the CDP had long argued that they were unconstitutional. The party says that it upholds the country’s three non-nuclear principles, in light of Takaichi refusing to deny that she would review the principles. Yoshihiko Noda, co-leader of the Centrist Reform Alliance, called the party’s stance “a decisive difference” with the ruling coalition. However, the party’s security policies are perceived as being half-baked, as it was hastily formed ahead of the election. Jun Azumi, co-secretary-general of the party, told a press conference shortly after it was formed that it is “not realistic to stop” the construction of a replacement facility for the U.S. Marine Corps’ Futenma air base in Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture, in the Henoko district of Nago, another city in the southernmost prefecture. Azumi later said that he had failed to explain the matter sufficiently after facing pressure to withdraw the Futenma remarks from members of the CDP, which has called for stopping the base relocation. Among other opposition parties, the Democratic Party for the People advocates reconsidering a Japanese defense system that relies too much on the United States. The Japanese Communist Party, Reiwa Shinsengumi and the Social Democratic Party oppose an expansion of arms exports, while the alliance of Genzei Nippon and Yukoku Rengo calls for revising the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement. Sanseito seeks discussions on nuclear sharing, the Conservative Party of Japan advocates government investment in the defense industry, and Team Mirai calls for active cyber defense. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]