Takaichi Cancels TV Debate due to Hand Injury

Tokyo, Feb. 1 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi canceled her appearance in a television debate program Sunday morning due to a hand injury. In the program of Japan Broadcasting Corp., or NHK, Takaichi, who heads the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, was slated to hold a debate with leaders of other parties ahead of the Feb. 8 election for the House of Representatives, the all-important lower chamber of the Diet, the country’s parliament. The LDP informed NHK on Sunday morning that Takaichi would cancel her participation in the debate program, according to the public broadcaster. Takaichi posted on X, formerly Twitter, that she injured her hand during her campaigning activities in the past couple of days and has been receiving treatment. “When I shook hands with a person who supports me enthusiastically, my hand was pulled hard and I hurt it,” she said, adding, “I have chronic rheumatoid arthritis, so my hand became swollen.” Takaichi said that a medical officer was urgently called to apply medication. In the X post, Takaichi also said that she will deliver speeches later on Sunday to highlight a major shift in the LDP’s policies. After the end of the TV program, she left the prime minister’s official residence in Tokyo and headed for Gifu and Aichi prefectures in central Japan. Norihisa Tamura, executive acting chairman of the LDP’s Policy Research Council, who attended the debate program for Takaichi, explained that the prime minister hurt her hand as she is working very hard in her campaign activities, offering an apology for her absence. The official campaign period for the Lower House general election started Tuesday. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]