Opposition Parties Cautious about Takaichi’s National Council Plan

Tokyo, Feb. 21 (Jiji Press)–Japanese opposition parties are becoming increasingly cautious about Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s plan to set up a “national council” to discuss a proposed consumption tax cut and a refundable tax credit system. Some in the opposition suspect that the Takaichi administration is selecting which parties will join the council. “It won’t be a national council if some parties are barred,” said a senior member of the Centrist Reform Alliance. In a policy address to the Diet on Friday, Takaichi, who heads the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, vowed to reach a conclusion on talks on social security and tax reform at the proposed council. On Thursday and Friday, LDP policy chief Takayuki Kobayashi met with senior officials from the Centrist Reform Alliance, the Democratic Party for the People and Team Mirai to ask the parties to join the council. Team Mirai leader Takahiro Anno expressed willingness to participate. However, other opposition parties responded negatively. “While we’re all for holding discussions on a refundable tax credit system, we’re not convinced that holding the talks in the form of a national council is the right move,” Centrist Reform Alliance policy chief Mitsunari Okamoto told reporters. At a meeting of parliamentary affairs chiefs from seven ruling and opposition parties on Friday, the Centrist Reform Alliance’s Kazuhiko Shigetoku stressed that the Takaichi administration should invite “a wide range of parties” to the council. The DPFP’s Motohisa Furukawa urged the administration to first draft tax cut and other plans. Meanwhile, Sanseito leader Sohei Kamiya told reporters that the LDP had refused his party’s participation in the council. He claimed that the administration intends to use the council as an excuse and called it a “very insincere” move. Tomoko Tamura, head of the Japanese Communist Party, said that the council “should not consist of only like-minded people.” The LDP’s Kobayashi emphasized that positive stances on a refundable tax credit system are required to join the proposed council. He explained that last year, opposition parties did call for discussions among parties interested in the refundable tax credit system. “We’re making offers based on this direction,” he said. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]