Japan Press Weekly

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2011 August 31 - September 6 [POLITICS]

Media encourages raising tax and forming grand coalition

Major national newspapers in their editorials encouraged the new prime minister to form a grand coalition with the Liberal Democratic and Komei parties for implementation of policies such as a consumption tax hike.

The editorials were carried by major newspapers after Noda Yoshihiko was elected as Democratic Party of Japan new president on August 29 and inaugurated his Cabinet on September 2.

At the time of the DPJ presidential election and inauguration of the new Cabinet, Noda emphasized the need for a tax increase to fund post-disaster reconstruction and expressed his determination to give shape to a plan to increase the consumption tax rate to 10% from the present 5%.

An Asahi Shimbun editorial on August 30 stated that Noda’s election as the DPJ president should be an opportunity for politicians to not postpone a decision which imposes hardships onto the general public.

Mainichi Shimbun and Nikkei Shimbun in their editorials stated that Noda should display strong leadership in line with his policy to raise the consumption tax.

In an editorial on September 4 Yomiuri Shimbun urged Noda to consider using a consumption tax hike as financial resource for post-disaster recovery.

Furthermore, major papers’ editorials in the same tone pushed Noda to form a grand coalition with the LDP and Komei.

The Yomiuri’s editorial of August 30 said that a grand coalition should be achieved in order to realize a consumption tax hike, entry into the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement, the relocation of the U.S. Futenma base to Okinwa’s Nago City, and exports of nuclear power plants.

The Asahi Shimbun in its editorial on September 2 pointed out that it seems that there is no crucial difference between the DPJ and the LDP regarding their political stance and said that the LDP should accept Noda’s proposal to establish a tripartite (the DPJ, the LDP, Komei) consultative panel for discussion about such themes as taxation reform.

The Nikkei Shimbun on September 3 also called on the DPJ leadership to create an environment for discussion between the DPJ and the oppositions LDP and Komei.

Earlier this year, when former Prime Minister Kan Naoto in his New Year address expressed his intention to raise the consumption tax and participate in the TPP, all the major papers also ran editorials pushing Kan to implement these policies.

The media have now repreated this, despite the fact that they received criticism the first time that they were ignoring their role as watchdog of power.