PM Takaichi Expects Tax Cut Talks to Conclude by Early August

Tokyo, July 15 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Wednesday that she wants the suprapartisan National Council on Social Security to reach a conclusion on the planned food tax cut by early August, so a related bill can be submitted to a possible extraordinary session of the Diet in the autumn. During the second parliamentary debate among party leaders in the current session, Democratic Party for the People leader Yuichiro Tamaki asked Takaichi about her plan to lower the consumption tax rate on food to 1 pct. In response, the prime minister said, “I hoped to see the talks end before summer, but it’s still possible (to submit a related bill during the autumn session) if the talks conclude around early August.” Takaichi said that she had told Itsunori Onodera, the chair of the working panel of the suprapartisan council, of her hope that the council will hold discussions that convince many people, even if it takes the whole month of July. When Tamaki asked if Takaichi had changed her plan to raise the food tax rate back to 8 pct after two years, Takaichi said that her vision of limiting the tax cut to two years had not changed. Regarding the government-submitted bill to revise the Imperial House Law, Centrist Reform Alliance leader Junya Ogawa said that the bill should have precisely reflected a parliamentary consensus reached under the initiative of the speakers and vice speakers of both Diet chambers. He criticized that the bill includes a proposal to grant the Imperial succession right to the sons of Imperial Family adoptees, which was not included in the parliamentary consensus. However, the prime minister argued that the government had compiled the bill based on the consensus. Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan leader Shunichi Mizuoka asked, “Were we fooled (by the government)?” Takaichi responded: “The Imperial succession issue has been postponed. The government will work while respecting discussions in the Diet.” Elsewhere in Wednesday’s debate, Takaichi expressed her eagerness to create an anti-espionage law, noting that foreign intelligence agencies are operating actively in Japan. The CRA’s Ogawa also asked the prime minister about allegations that her campaign created videos defaming other candidates in recent elections, including last year’s leadership election of her ruling Liberal Democratic Party. Ogawa claimed that the scandal “could call into question the prime minister’s competence.” Takaichi dismissed the question, saying, “I was asked about something I don’t know.” END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]