INTERVIEW: LDP Candidate Motegi Aims to Expand Coalition

Tokyo, Sept. 29 (Jiji Press)–Toshimitsu Motegi, a candidate in the Liberal Democratic Party’s leadership election, is eager to expand its ruling coalition as his party discusses a proposed fiscal 2025 supplementary budget with other forces. Motegi, former LDP secretary-general, said he has no plans to dissolve the House of Representatives, the all-important lower chamber of the Diet, Japan’s parliament, for a snap election. “We have many things to do, including measures to counter high prices,” he said in a recent interview. Motegi said he wants to expand the coalition in order to take necessary policy measures and boost Japan’s presence in diplomacy and national security. “We must hurry and enact the supplementary budget during the (expected) extraordinary Diet session,” he said about the timing of a possible enlargement of the coalition. “I want to expand the framework as we hold talks with other parties.” On arrangements for constituency candidates in parliamentary elections with other parties, Motegi said, “If we start discussing the topic, boosting the coalition will be difficult.” He referred to cases in Europe in which ruling parties put up multiple candidates in the same constituencies. “It’s not that we can’t form a coalition until such arrangements are in place,” he went on. On measures against high prices, he plans to establish a special grant system allowing each prefecture to create a fund worth dozens of billions of yen for specific related measures. “I am not going to make it a permanent system, as I believe wage hikes outpacing price increases can be achieved in two years.” Regarding a proposed refundable tax credit program, he said, “It’s crucial to reduce the burdens of people on middle to lower incomes and those of the child-rearing generation.” “It’s not a program that we can introduce in a year, although it is one possible measure,” he said, emphasizing the importance of continuing discussions on the topic. Over political funds scandals, Motegi said, “Politicians themselves need to create an environment in which they never cause the same kind of problem, by fulfilling their supervisory responsibilities related to political funds reports.” Asked about the party’s pledge to start anew as if from scratch, Motegi underlined the need to raise awareness of legal compliance and make drastic changes to personnel appointments at both the party and the central government. On Imperial succession, he expressed his support for the current rule limiting succession to male members in the paternal line of the Imperial Family. “The urgent issue is how to secure an appropriate number of Imperial Family members.” Motegi said, suggesting he hopes to form a suprapartisan agreement while noting disagreements with the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]