The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ) sees its party presidential election as a crucial step towards the next Diet general election. The party aims to showcase its ability to govern through policy debates among the candidates in the leadership race. However, during a recent debate, some candidates seemed less assertive, possibly due to concerns about the overshadowing effect of the Liberal Democratic Party’s presidential election, which coincides with CDPJ’s.
One topic discussed during the debate was the party’s stance on nuclear energy. Former Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, who previously allowed the reactivation of a nuclear power station in Fukui Prefecture, emphasized the need for realistic policies while maintaining ideals. Kenta Izumi expressed his support for restarting reactors at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings’ nuclear power station in Niigata Prefecture under certain conditions.
Yukio Edano argued that there is no need to review the party’s basic policies and believed that a society without nuclear power plants can be achieved sooner rather than later. Harumi Yoshida firmly stated her goal of creating a society without nuclear power plants.
Another point of discussion was how to approach consumption tax reform, an issue that divides CDPJ members. Edano and Noda were against lowering the consumption tax rate due to concerns about its impact on government revenue and wealth distribution. They proposed implementing a refundable tax credit system for low-income earners instead.
Yoshida suggested temporarily lowering the consumption tax rate to 5% and exempting food from taxation as a short-term measure. Izumi expressed his willingness to explore options for reducing taxpayers’ burden.
Some within CDPJ expressed concern about their chances of gaining public support when there are such divergent views on national issues within their ranks. They hope that through vigorous debate battles during leadership campaigns, they can unite party members under one vision before facing voters in future elections.
