House of Councillors election 2025
Is there any politician we can expect to solve serious issues?

The Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election has been officially announced, with voting scheduled for June 22. As a prelude to the House of Councilors election expected in July, the race is drawing national political attention. However, the situation remains as hopeless as ever: from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party to the Japanese Communist Party and Reiwa Shinsengumi, all are rolling out populist handout policies aimed at short-term vote gains. It’s hard to believe that any of them are truly fit to govern at the national level.

I’d like to highlight a few key policy issues that weigh heavily on my mind. Yet, I cannot find a single political party that seems willing to address these serious concerns. Whom should I vote for?

  1. Government debt accumulation
  2. Nuclear energy policy
  3. Population decline
  4. Imperial succession
  5. Japan - U.S. Relations

1. Government debt accumulation

If Japan does not begin to seriously address its growing government debt, there is no telling when its public finances or the broader economy might collapse. That's why I find it unbearable to watch political parties, election after election, shamelessly resort to vote-buying through wasteful handout policies. This time, under the pretext of rising inflation, they are all shouting out promises like "a flat 20,000 yen cash payment" or "abolish the consumption tax" - measures I can only describe as foolish.

It's true that inflation has made life harder, especially for vulnerable individuals, and some form of emergency relief may be appropriate for them. However, the current inflation is driven largely by rising import prices, which in turn stem from a weakened yen. And this yen depreciation is not a temporary fluctuation, but the result of deep structural weakness in the Japanese economy. Even with the yen trading at 140 to 150 to the dollar, the trade balance remains in deficit - a clear sign of industrial hollowing-out. A country whose economy is sustained by inbound tourism is a country in decline.

Worse, despite a booming tourism sector, even the current account balance is negative. One major reason is that Japan's low interest rates are discouraging capital inflows. But that's not all, profits from Japanese overseas investments are being reinvested abroad, rather than being repatriated to Japan. Meanwhile, if the government raises interest rates to prevent capital outflows, it risks collapsing its debt-ridden fiscal structure. How are the Bank of Japan and the Ministry of Finance supposed to navigate these layered contradictions?

And yet, the only thing politicians seem to care about is handing out more money.

What needs to happen is clear: increase tax revenue and eliminate wasteful spending. First and foremost, the House of Councilors should be abolished. It is nothing more than a second-tier version of the House of Representatives. At the same time, while nuclear reactors are expected to operate for 60 years, public buildings are torn down and rebuilt after just 30 years under the excuse of "aging infrastructure." New infrastructure projects continue to be launched one after another with no regard for the future burdens on a next-generation Japan whose population is projected to fall to 30 million - a mere quarter of what it is now - by the end of the century. It's beyond absurd.

2. Nuclear energy policy

The Fukushima nuclear disaster laid bare an undeniable truth: Japan, regardless of its peaceful intentions, simply lacks the capacity to safely manage nuclear power. It’s not just about tsunamis - we have no idea what other "unforeseen" events might occur in the future. And once a serious accident happens, the surrounding land becomes unusable for decades, if not longer. Irresponsible politicians, along with the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and TEPCO, have claimed things can return to normal within 40 years, but 14 years after the disaster, it’s painfully obvious that such timelines are wishful thinking.

Minor incidents continue to occur regularly, and the myth of nuclear safety has long since collapsed. So why do Japan's conservative politicians persist in promoting nuclear energy? Can nuclear waste really be disposed of safely in a country like Japan, with its complex and seismically active geology? Japan set a goal over 50 years ago to establish its own nuclear fuel cycle, investing in reprocessing facilities and fast-breeder reactors, but has made virtually no progress. We still rely on the UK and France for nuclear fuel reprocessing.

Why, then, do we not shift our focus toward renewable energy instead of clinging to nuclear power? Critics are quick to say that wind and solar are unstable sources of electricity, but that's only because we lack the ambition to lead the world in energy storage technologies. We shouldn't rely solely on batteries, hydrogen should be part of the solution as well. Technological innovation should also be pushed further in the area of energy efficiency.

Moreover, solar power should not be left to massive, centralized "mega-solar" projects alone. If each household installed solar panels and battery systems, most detached homes could become nearly self-sufficient. In the event of a major earthquake that severs lifelines, as long as the house remains standing, electricity wouldn't be an issue. These days, we hear constant warnings about disaster preparedness - earthquakes, floods, even the eruption of Mt. Fuji - and yet the energy system being promoted is still centralized. In truth, the more uncertain the times, the more we should rely on decentralized, local mini-systems where neighbors can support one another. These systems are far more dependable than any large-scale infrastructure.

3. Population decline

Then there is the issue of population decline. No matter how much child-rearing support is expanded, it is unlikely to reverse the trend. Society has fundamentally changed. Even in France, often cited as a success story in family support policies, the birth rate has not reached the level needed for population growth. In times when the traditional household was the center of life and large families lived together, the population grew. But now, with the shift to nuclear families and a society increasingly centered around individuals, both men and women, it seems almost impossible to reverse population decline. This is not unique to Japan; the same trend can be seen across the West and neighboring Asian countries.

In Japan, it's often said that fathers do not contribute enough to child-rearing, but this is largely a result of the Japanese work environment. Japanese offices are notoriously inefficient, and long hours are often a prerequisite for joining the inner circles that lead to promotions. The reason women in Japan are excluded from management or executive positions is not simply because they are women, but because they are tied down by child-rearing responsibilities, something men would also face if they were expected to do the same. Asking men to participate equally in parenting is, in essence, asking them to accept the same disadvantages that have long kept women from advancing in the workplace. It is this rigid labor structure, and the social norms behind it, that stand as major obstacles and they are unlikely to change anytime soon. In such a society, it is no surprise that birth rates are not increasing.

Moreover, nearly everyone seems to aspire to clean, white-collar jobs, leaving manual labor to foreigners. Construction, elder care, and agriculture are all fields increasingly reliant on foreign workers. And it's not just that foreigners are filling jobs Japanese people no longer want, they are also taking on work that Japanese people cannot do. Despite this, Japan has made little serious effort to integrate these individuals into society. We may be living through a transformational era, much like the transition from the Jomon to the Yayoi and Nara periods, during which the very composition of the Japanese people is changing. And yet, there is a complete lack of systematic efforts to help these newcomers become good neighbors, future members of Japanese society.

The first step is language education, which remains sorely inadequate. Beyond that, we must help newcomers understand and participate in everyday social expectations, from basic things like waste disposal to broader norms of community life. We should be working together to build a new Japan. Without that, today’s Japanese could end up like the Jomon people, eventually displaced by newcomers from the continent.

Population decline is especially pronounced in rural areas. One reason is that many young women flee these regions, which remain steeped in conservative prejudice. But the problem goes deeper than that: Japan is becoming more and more Tokyo-centric, both economically and socially. In such a context, it's unrealistic to expect each shrinking town or prefecture to revitalize itself by attracting young people. They end up competing with one another, pulling each other down. Without broader, regionally coordinated solutions, nothing will change. In that sense, Japan should move quickly to revive and implement the long-forgotten idea of a "doshusei", regional bloc system of government.

4.Imperial succession

The imperial succession must allow for a matrilineal emperor. Japan's current Constitution guarantees gender equality, and it is no longer acceptable for the Imperial Household to cling to outdated patriarchal traditions under the pretense of preserving history. As it stands, the succession system established during the Meiji era even permits only males to ascend to the throne. But the qualities required of a member of the Imperial Family are not innate; they are cultivated within the unique environment of the Imperial Household. Therefore, relying on makeshift measures such as adopting male heirs from the former imperial branches, who have long since left the royal family, is both dishonest and unacceptable.

Japan should adopt a model closer to that of Western monarchies, where both men and women are treated equally. When a female member of the Imperial Family marries, her spouse should be allowed to join the royal household as her consort. Their children should then remain within the Imperial Family and be eligible to inherit the throne. That would be a proper interpretation of the imperial succession as envisioned by the postwar Constitution.

Those so-called "conservatives" who oppose this idea are, in reality, the ones pushing the Imperial institution toward extinction. By stubbornly clinging to an unsustainable male-only line, they are dismantling the very institution they claim to protect.

5.Japan - U.S. Relations

Japan must abandon its submissive alignment with the United States and begin to earnestly reflect on its own role as a sovereign nation within Asia. The U.S. military bases stationed in Japan do not exist for Japan's defense. Rather, they function as instruments of America's global military strategy, and arguably, serve to prevent Japan from re-emerging as a military power. This is something many other Asian nations are well aware of.

One cannot ignore the disturbing fact that sexual violence committed by U.S. soldiers in Okinawa - where U.S. bases are heavily concentrated - has persisted for decades. Why does this continue? Compared to Germany, which also hosts many U.S. troops, Japan's situation appears abnormal. Is there an element of racial discrimination at play? Or are Japan’s politicians and senior bureaucrats simply being looked down upon by Americans?

So-called "conservative" politicians in Japan seem to rely on American power to inflate their own authority when dealing with China and Korea. They flatter the United States while acting arrogantly toward Japan's neighbors. But such behavior cannot be called true nationalism. These people posture as proud nationalists, but in reality, they are hiding behind America's might. One cannot help but feel that if the patriots of the past - people like Toyama Mitsuru or Miyazaki Toten, who genuinely cared about the future of Japan and Asia, could see today's political landscape, they would be deeply ashamed.

 2025.6.17