Overview
- The government marked its first anniversary on Wednesday with most major polls still showing substantial Cabinet support but several surveys dipping below 50 percent.
- Former agriculture minister Kazuo Yana resigned last week after saying he had cut road funding for municipalities that did not back him, and his remarks prompted intense parliamentary questions about cabinet vetting and political fairness.
- The administration is prioritizing a two-year cut in the consumption tax on food and beverages from 8 percent to 1 percent starting next April and a bill to reduce lower-house seats in an extraordinary Diet session.
- Takaichi’s top-down style and recent personnel moves have drawn warnings from fiscal conservatives and party figures that internal dissent could grow if public support continues to erode.
- The coming unified local elections next spring and ongoing diplomatic strains with China and issues tied to U.S. policy on the ICC are the key tests that could shape the LDP-JIP bloc’s fortunes and local voters’ trust in government