Tokyo, Sept. 30 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is set to highlight in her upcoming policy speech before parliament her resolve to make all-out efforts to promote economic growth and create a society where people can have hope for the future, Jiji Press learned Wednesday. The prime minister is expected not to go into how to finance a series of policy measures needed to achieve the goal, but to say, “There is nothing to worry about,” according to the draft. Takaichi will say that her administration will draw up a five-year implementation plan for Japan’s growth strategy, outlining a path for domestic investment. She is slated to deliver the speech on the first day of an extraordinary Diet session to be convened Monday. Takaichi will pledge to realize a “virtuous cycle under the expansion of gross domestic product” by increasing employment, income and tax revenues, while raising the potential growth rate by expanding private investment using the government’s fiscal spending as a stimulus. Also in the speech, the prime minister will seek public support for a bill to lower the consumption tax on food and beverages, which is expected to be the key focus at the Diet session. She will say that “the bill is intended to provide households with as much leeway as possible,” while adding that calls for a consumption tax cut have frequently been made by opposition parties as well. Takaichi will say that the government will secure necessary financial resources for the policy without relying on deficit-covering bonds so that it can gain market confidence, but does not plan to mention specifics. She will say that her administration would “enhance trust in the government through dialogue with the market.” On the diplomatic front, she will reiterate her support for the International Criminal Court, at a time when the United States is calling on member states to withdraw from the ICC. She will express her eagerness to maintain and strengthen international order by the rule of law. Regarding North Korea, she will say that she “could never accept” the nuclear and missile development by Pyongyang, while saying that she will not rule out any options including a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, in a bid to resolve the issue of abductions of Japanese nationals by North Korea decades ago. On the National Disaster Management Agency, to be launched in November, she will say that her government will establish a system in which the agency serves as the government’s command center for disaster preparedness and response. As for relations with the prefectural government of Okinawa, southernmost Japan, where a conservative governor was elected for the first time in 12 years in a recent gubernatorial election, Takaichi will say that her government will revitalize the Okinawa economy and promote the relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps.’ Futenma air station in Ginowan in the prefecture to the Henoko coastal area in Nago, also in Okinawa. Regarding the bill to revise the national referendum law, which was enacted in July, she will say that this marked “great progress in creating an environment in which the people can decide whether to revise the Constitution.” END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
