Nippon Ishin stakes its appeal on real results as Upper House vote nears

Japan Times

5 days ago

Japan's Upper House election Sunday is of exceptional importance, especially because the ruling coalition now holds only a minority in the Lower House — a situation not seen in nearly three decades.
As a result, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's administration is compelled to seek cooperation from opposition parties to move legislation forward. This marks a rare and significant opportunity for the opposition — including our party, Nippon Ishin no Kai — to fulfill its policy promises.
While we naturally aim to have all of our candidates elected, Nippon Ishin has set an additional key goal for this election: to push the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito below the majority threshold in the Upper House.
Should both chambers come under minority government control, a new sense of urgency and responsibility will permeate the Diet, Japan's parliament. In such a scenario, the presence and influence of the opposition — including Nippon Ishin — will undoubtedly grow.
What makes a vote for Nippon Ishin worthwhile is our unwavering commitment to delivering on our pledges. As mentioned earlier, the current parliamentary landscape offers a rare chance for opposition parties to turn campaign promises into reality. And yet, which opposition party, other than Nippon Ishin, has truly done so?
While some opposition parties broke off negotiations with the government, Nippon Ishin succeeded in achieving free tuition for high-school students. As a nonruling party, we cannot implement policy on our own. In order to fulfill our pledges, we voted in favor of the government's initial budget plan — an act that drew criticism for allegedly supporting the ruling coalition. But we stood firm, choosing tangible results over political posturing. After all, campaign promises are commitments to the people and every politician should be willing to exhaust every effort to honor them.
Nippon Ishin also brings value through its independence from vested interests. During the last Diet session, opposition parties failed to unite behind a bill to ban corporate and organizational donations.
The inability to advance political reform and the continued lack of progress in improving citizens' lives stems from the irresponsibility of both the ruling LDP — which resists structural change — and the other established opposition parties, which remain entangled in old alliances.
Nippon Ishin, by contrast, operates free from such entanglements and boldly pursues policy reform. Our consistent advocacy for banning corporate donations and our leadership in achieving free high-school tuition are clear evidence of that.
In this election, Nippon Ishin places its core focus on the slogan: 'Transforming Lives Through Social Insurance Reform.' We propose comprehensive changes to reduce social-insurance premiums while working toward these four goals:
An economy where take-home pay rises faster than inflation.
Politics free from entrenched interests.
A society that offers genuine hope for future generations.
Japan as a self-reliant nation.
These reforms have long been recognized as necessary, yet old-guard political parties have consistently looked the other way. But now — with growing economic uncertainties and Japan's aging population crisis accelerating beyond manageable levels — the time for delay has passed.
Reform must begin immediately. We call upon the public to consolidate its desire for change by casting votes for Nippon Ishin. Help us bring your voices into the Diet, and together, let us make long-overdue reform a reality.
Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura and Lower House member Seiji Maehara are co-leaders of the opposition party Nippon Ishin no Kai.
In the lead-up to the July 20 Upper House election, The Japan Times reached out to the nation's major political parties requesting an op-ed for our Opinion pages on why this election is so crucial and why their party deserves the citizens' vote. We are publishing all those who responded.