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Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and opposition Liberal-Democratic Party leader Shinzo Abe took to the streets in Tokyo and Kanagawa on Saturday to outline their policies for the Dec 16 election, even though official campaigning doesn't begin until Dec 4.
Speaking to big crowds outside four train stations in Tokyo and Kanagawa, Noda said the most important thing in the election will be whether people want to go with reforms from the ruling Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) or revert to old-style politics with the LDP, Sankei Shimbun reported. Noda told a gathering outside Tama Station that he intends to deliver this message at 100 campaign stops in December.
Meanwhile, Abe addressed a big crowd outside JR Kichijoji Station. He criticized the Noda government's handling of territorial disputes with China and South Korea. Abe said Chinese ships come and go at will in the waters around the Senkaku islands. He said the DPJ has made Japan a loser in foreign policy and promised to restore trust with the U.S., Sankei reported.
Noda also said on Saturday that he would like to have a one-on-one debate with Abe so that voters can see the differences between the two parties. However, LDP Secretary-General Shigeru Ishiba said the smaller opposition parties are likely to object unless they can take part.
© Japan Today
7 Comments
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Yubaru
Ear plug time!
wackness
I'll vote for whoever promises to ban megaphones during election time.
Oh wait, I can't vote...and never will be able to.
alladin
I guess the two idiots are going to debate on how they can put the country of Japan into a more serious downfall, and what they are planning to do to contaminate more citizens and destroy what is left.
skroknog
Mass debating in public? Not pleasant on the ears or eyes.
edojin
Interesting twist among TV commentators. Some are now coming out for Noda. They say his reasoning is more sound than Abe's.
Abe seems to be scaring some people with his plans to improve the economy. If he wins out, we can look for inflation coming our way once again. And the way the economic situation is right now, not many people can afford to pay more for what they need.
Although the Liberal Democrats are favored to score big in the Dec. 16 election, Abe could be scaring some voters away with his plans to change Japan. But the problem is, many people don't know where to turn to for wise leadership down the road. Too many parties to choose from, too many bad politicians to put back in office, etc.
Right now Noda and his young intelligent Minshuto leaders seem to be the best of what we have here in Japan.
skroknog
@edojin
I agree, but I wouldn't count on smart voting. The kind of logic I hear from people is 'we had DPJ so now it's time for a change.' People seem pretty clueless about politics here. And the elderly are likely to vote for the LDP again, just because they're the LDP. Either way I can't see Abe lasting long even if he gets in ... then we'll be back to square one just as we have been for the past 20 years.
lostrune2
Why not just stick to TV debates to outline policies?