Lydia Misnik
At the end of September, elections will be held in Japan for the head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, who will later become the country’s prime minister. Four candidates are fighting for the post, but experts believe that a real fight will unfold between two men: the Japanese are not yet ready for a female prime minister. Gazeta.Ru is about those who can head the Japanese government.
Taro Kono
In public opinion polls, the candidacy of Taro Kono is still in the lead, although such polls can only indirectly affect the choice of deputies and ordinary party members. Kono has a reputation as a reformer and successful manager. His candidacy was supported by the popular politician Shigeru Ishiba, thanks to which Kono’s chances of being elected are significantly increased.
Taro Kono, as part of the election race, called the resolution of the territorial dispute over the South Kuriles an important job for Tokyo. He spoke about this back in 2006 in Moscow. Then he put forward the idea of ??separate control over the largest islands of the South Kuril ridge – Kunashir and Iturup.
Taro Kono is a supporter of a strategic alliance with the United States and at the same time advocates a revision of the agreement on the status of the American armed forces in Japan: now the American military contingent in Japan is about 47 thousand people, which causes protests in several regions of the country – especially in Okinawa.
In addition, he advocates a dialogue with North Korea, “regardless of whether it possesses nuclear weapons or not.”
Taro Kono is against the use of nuclear energy. As follows from the publications of the WikiLeaks website ,
in 2008, in a conversation with the staff of the American embassy in Japan, he argued that the Japanese government was hiding data on emergency situations at the nuclear power plant.
“Apparently, Kono will be the prime minister. He has proven himself well. He is a hereditary politician, in his family there were prominent diplomats, statesmen, “says Valery Kistanov , head of the Center for Japanese Studies at the Institute of the Far East of the Russian Academy of Sciences, to Gazeta.Ru .
Fumio Kishida
Another candidate with a high chance of winning is Fumio Kishida, who, while not as popular as Kono, has a lot of influence within the party.
He calls the fight against coronavirus a top priority for the head of government, but also emphasizes the importance of problems in the field of foreign policy.
Kishidu has already established himself in the international arena and has established contacts with foreign partners.
Japanese media reported that during a diplomatic dinner in 2013, Kishida challenged Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, inviting him to drink cups of sake one after another.
Kishida pledged that his government would strengthen the country’s defense capabilities, including missile defense. He also promises to defend freedom, democratic values ??and human rights around the world.
“Kono and Kishida have comparable chances, but each has its own strengths and weaknesses. For example, Kono is better able to communicate with voters, is actively present on social networks, he has a good sense of humor, he speaks good English, but some of the party elites may turn against him. Popularity among ordinary voters does not directly translate into chances of winning, ” Vladimir Nelidov, a MGIMO professor and candidate of historical sciences , explains to Gazeta.Ru .
At the same time, he notes that Kishida is a very experienced politician who has support within the party.
According to the expert, he articulates his political position quite clearly, speaks of the need to build a Japanese version of capitalism. He also has chances, but Kono, according to Nelidov, has a little more of them.
Sanae Takaichi
Two women, Sanae Takaichi and Seiko Noda, will also compete for the post of prime minister.
Takaichi, 60, is known for her extreme right-wing views.
Its clear plus is the support of the former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe , who still maintains a high position within the party. It was the continuity of his policy that Takaichi called the main leitmotif of her election platform.
Over the years, Sanae Takaichi was the Minister of Affairs for Okinawa and the “Northern Territories” – as the Japanese call the South Kuril Islands – as well as the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. In her last post, she drew a public outcry with a proposal to revoke licenses from television channels that the government deems politically biased.
She calls the priority tasks for the defense of Japan to reduce the risks of natural disasters, infectious diseases, serious diseases, terrorism threats, cyber attacks and everything that threatens economic and defense security.
The scandalousness of her person is given by the fact that she openly declares her intention to continue to regularly visit the “militaristic” Yasukuni temple.
This could lead to aggravation of relations with China and South Korea, which see this temple as a symbol of Japan’s aggressive past.
Seiko Noda
The candidacy, in whose success the experts are less confident, is Noda Seiko. Previously, she was Minister for National Affairs, Local Autonomy and Communications. On September 16, she announced that she had secured the support of 20 parliamentarians from the party, which is necessary to enter the election campaign.
The appearance in the country of the country’s first female prime minister would be a historic achievement for Japan, which ranks the lowest among the G7 countries in the World Economic Forum’s gender gap index, writes the Japanese news agency Kyodo News.
According to this indicator, it is in 121st place out of 156 countries of the world.
“If one of the women becomes prime minister, it will be a sensation, this has never happened. But Japanese society is such that women are on the sidelines there. This comes from the story that a woman is a second-class person, and this still persists. Women in Japan even have lower wages for the same job than men. That is, Japanese society is not ready for a woman to become prime minister, ”explained Valery Kistanov from the Russian Academy of Sciences.
