[From February Issue 2013]

ABE Shinzo’s cabinet was formed after last year’s December election. Japan faces a number of difficulties that need to be resolved and Prime Minister Abe’s abilities will be evaluated depending on how well he deals with them. One problem is that of nuclear power. Should Japan continue to use it? Should Japan abolish it? Public opinion is deeply divided. One view is that nuclear power stations that have been deemed safe should be switched back on for the sake of economic growth and cost effectiveness. The other side believes that human life should be given priority and that the accident at Fukushima proved without a shadow of a doubt that there are no absolute guarantees for the safety of nuclear power stations.

Pensions have also become a big problem. National pension payments by the working generation go towards paying the pensions of the elderly, but because of the declining birthrate and aging population, the existing pension system is heading for collapse. In short, the number of people receiving a pension is increasing, while the number of those making payments is decreasing. These days more and more young people are not paying, because there is a possibility that they will not be able to receive a pension in the future.

Japan owes approximately 1,000 trillion yen in debts. The largest amount in the world by far. Because of this the former regime decided to raise consumer tax in 2014 in order to pay for social welfare. However, the stagnation of Japan’s economy is continuing. Many people oppose this and say that if consumption tax goes up, the economy will slump even further which would have a knock on effect, causing corporate tax to decrease.

As the trend towards globalization continues, Japanese manufacturers have moved overseas in search of cheap labor and new markets. Because of this, within Japan fewer permanent staff are being employed, while the number of temporary and part time workers is increasing. Wages for workers have not increased so their purchasing power has decreased meaning that businesses cannot make enough profit. The government is planning to increase tax revenues in line with to economic growth, but there is strong opposition to this policy.

Another problem is diplomatic. People are closely watching how the government deals with territorial disputes between China, Korea and Russia. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party wants to strengthen military power, which would mean revising the constitution to make this possible. Other people are objecting to this move, stating that a hard-line stance would worsen relations with these nations. Meanwhile the debate continues over whether free trade agreements, like the TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership), are in the national interest.

Invisible Problems

Now people are keeping a close eye on whether politicians keep their election pledges. Out of the many problems that need dealing with, citizens particularly want to see a decrease in the number of politicians, a wage cut for politicians, as well as a decrease in the number of public servants and a cut in their wasteful spending.

People’s trust in the media, which often treats politics as some form of entertainment, is declining. There has been criticism of the opinion polls that they carry out immediately after a cabinet member has made a blunder; these give the impression that the approval rating for the cabinet has declined. Some say that this is one of the reasons that Japanese prime ministers are replaced after serving about one year in office.

Some people say that the problem lies with voters who are either overly influenced by the media, or don’t bother voting at all because they believe that nothing will change no matter who the prime minister is. There is a saying that “the level of a nation’s politics is equivalent to the level of the people themselves.” Critics point out that this saying is applicable to Japan.

[2013年2月号掲載記事]

昨年12月の総選挙後に安倍晋三内閣が誕生しました。日本にはさまざまな解決すべき問題があり、安倍総理の手腕が問われます。一つは原発問題です。存続するのか、廃止するのか、国民の意見はほぼ二分されています。経済成長やコスト面で安全が確認された原発は再開すべきという意見と、福島の事故が証明したように原発には絶対安全はなく、生命が優先されるべきとの意見です。

年金も大きな問題となっています。労働世代の年金保険料が高齢者の給付金になりますが、少子高齢化が進みそのシステムが崩れつつあります。つまり、年金をもらう人が増え、支払う人が減っていくのです。現在、支払っている若者が将来年金をもらえない可能性があることから、納付しない若者が増えています。

日本はおよそ1,000兆円の借入金があります。これは世界で飛び抜けて多い額です。そのため、前政権は消費税を2014年に上げ、社会保障にあてる決定をしました。しかし、日本の景気の低迷は続いています。消費税を上げればさらに景気は落ち込み、結局は法人税などが減る懸念があり、その実施には多くの人が反対しています。

グローバル化が進み日本の製造業は、安い労働力および新たな市場を求めて海外へ進出しました。それにより日本国内での正社員の雇用が減り、派遣やアルバイトが増えています。労働者の所得は増えず、そのため購買力が下がり、企業の収益は上がりません。政府は経済成長で税収を上げようとしていますが、その政策への反論は強くあります。

外交にも問題があります。国民は中国、韓国、ロシアとの領土紛争を政府がどう対処するのかを見守っています。政府は自衛力の強化をすすめようとしていますが、それには憲法改正も必要となります。強硬姿勢は関係国との関係を悪化させるとして反対する人もいます。一方では、TPP（環太平洋連携協定）への参加など自由貿易の国益をめぐっての論議が続いています。

見えざる問題点

今、政治家が公約を守るのかに国民の厳しい目が向けられています。諸問題の解決には、まずは政治家の議員数や報酬額の削減、また、公務員の数の削減、さらに無駄遣いをなくすことを国民は望んでいます。

また、政治をエンターテイメント的な手法で報道するメディアへの不信も高まっています。閣僚に失態があるとすぐに実施して、内閣の支持率低下を印象付ける世論調査への批判もあります。日本の総理大臣が就任後に1年ほどで交代するのは、それが要因の一つとの見方もあります。

そのメディアにあおられて投票する、また、誰が総理大臣になっても生活は変わらないと思って選挙に行かない国民にも問題があるとの指摘もあります。「その国の政治レベルは、国民のレベルと同じ」とよくいわれますが、日本にも当てはまるという評論家もいます。