Japan's PM Kishida Faces First Opposition Questions

TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan’s new prime minister, Fumio Kishida, makes his debut in parliamentary questioning on Monday, the first chance for the opposition to probe Kishida’s promises and plans since he took office last week.

With the general election scheduled to take place in three weeks’ time, tackling the next wave of the coronavirus pandemic and rebuilding a weak economy are set to become key issues of debate.

Although Japan is currently in the midst of a lull of new coronavirus infections, experts have warned of a likely increase in cases ahead of winter.

The main opposition party believes in expanding testing and has previously said Japan should stop lurching in and out of soft lockdowns.

Kishida, on the other hand, has said the government will draw up a stimulus package running into the tens of trillions of yen to support those hit hard by the pandemic to aide post-coronavirus recovery.

Kishida has also touted a “new type of capitalism” that closes the wealth gap as a way to navigate the economy out of the doldrums.

But the practicality of his promises may come under fire, given that he toned down his consideration of reviewing the country’s taxes on capital gains and dividends as a way to redistribute wealth.

“I have no plan to touch the financial income tax for the time being … There are many other things to tackle first,” Kishida told commercial broadcaster Fuji Television Network on Sunday.

The opposition could also question Kishida on his party’s manifesto ahead of the Oct. 31 general election. A draft obtained by Reuters showed the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) wants to double the defence budget if possible.

Japan faces an increasingly assertive China and North Korea’s nuclear and missile programmes – both issues that Kishida has expressed concern over, saying he is determined to protect the Japanese people in an increasingly tough security environment.

(Reporting by Sakura Murakami; Editing by Lincoln Feast)