Japan votes in election anticipated to punish PM Ishiba’s coalition | USAEMALL.com

COALITION HEADACHES

Nine days before US voters choose a new president, Japan’s general election appears likely to show Ishiba miscalculated in going to the voters for a verdict on the LDP’s scandal over unrecorded donations at fundraisers.

After purging some LDP members, Ishiba says he considers the case closed and has not ruled out giving government posts to disgraced politicians, possibly angering voters, experts say.

Potential coalition partners could be the Democratic Party for the People (DPP) and the Japan Innovation Party, but both propose policies at odds with the LDP line.

The DPP calls for halving Japan’s 10 per cent sales tax until real wages rise, a policy not endorsed by the LDP, while the Innovation Party has pledged tougher donation rules to clean up politics.

The Innovation Party opposes further rate hikes, and the DPP leader has said the central bank may have been hasty in raising rates, while the BOJ wants to gradually wean the world’s fourth-largest economy off decades of monetary stimulus.

“The DPP is focused on ultimately making the country better and ensuring financial resources are allocated more appropriately, so that’s why I decided to vote for them,” Keisuke Yoshitomi, a 39-year-old office worker said after casting his vote at a polling station in central Tokyo on Sunday.

Also voting at the same station on a sunny morning, Takeshi Ito, a 38-year-old manager at an infrastructure company said he would stick with the LDP, which has governed Japan for almost all of the post-war era.

“Even if I were to switch to an opposition party, it’s still unclear whether they could push forward reforms, and I don’t know if I can trust them or not at this point,” Ito said.

“Therefore, I want to see the party that has been in power continue to move forward.”

Almost 40 per cent of voters say their top concern is the economy and cost of living, according to a poll by public broadcaster NHK. It found 28 per cent wanted a tax cut and 21 per cent hoped to see a continued rise in their wages.

Various parties have pledged to raise wages in a move that may win votes but also threatens smaller businesses that are struggling to keep up with rising costs.