The Tamesis
January 26, 2026
Tokyo – Party leaders and executives have begun a war of words ahead of next month’s lower house elections.
The formal election campaign will begin on Tuesday, with voting and counting scheduled for February 8.
The lower house election will be a contest between two major forces: the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the centrist Reform Alliance, a new party made up of the main opposition Cadets and Komeito and involving other smaller parties.
Both the ruling and opposition parties are working hard to convey election promises to voters.
Party leaders debated their policies in a panel discussion broadcast online on Saturday, the first such event since the House of Commons was dissolved last week.
“We will vigorously strengthen security policies,” said Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae, who is also president of the Liberal Democratic Party. “No one will protect a country that lacks the spirit and strength to defend itself.”
Speaking about her ongoing calls for a law to punish flag desecration, Takaichi said: “We need [the law] In order to protect the honor of Japan, I will definitely implement this law. “
CRA co-leader Yoshihiko Noda spoke about economic policy. “The middle class is increasingly trapped in poverty due to a failure to redistribute wealth,” he said. “We will pursue policies that prioritize ordinary citizens.”
Takaichi and Noda have feuded over a number of issues, including the relocation of the U.S. military’s Futenma Air Base in Ginowan City, Okinawa Prefecture.
“Komeito supports the relocation plan, so what position will it take? [the CRA] take? ” Gao Yi asked Noda.
Noda replied: “Taking into account the voices of the people in the prefecture is the way to respond to the broadest base of voters,” he said.
Takaichi found the response vague and asked again about the party’s position, to which Noda replied: “We take a cautious stance.”
In response to Takaichi’s remarks in Congress that emergencies in Taiwan may constitute an “existential threat situation,” Noda said that Japan has been labeled a militaristic country and the prime minister should “peel off” this label. The Prime Minister responded that she had been holding meetings with other world leaders to explain her views.
At the same time, other parties are clearly trying to avoid being overshadowed by the two major parties by emphasizing their own characteristics.
On the same day, Fumitake Fujita, co-leader of the Liberal Democratic Party and its partner Japan Reform Party, delivered a roadside speech in Koto Ward, Tokyo. “The Liberal Democrats are not moving that fast,” he said. “The role of JIP is to get the party to take action. We are the engine and accelerator of Gao City Government.”
On a street in Kure City, Hiroshima Prefecture, People’s Democratic Party leader Yuichiro Tamaki also addressed the public. “The amount of money you have left in your hand doesn’t increase because of the price increase,” Tamaki said. “We will implement policies that increase your take-home pay.”
During the group discussion, the three provinces that promote the “Japan First” policy made their positions clear. “We will establish a system that allows the Japanese people to play a central role in the country’s governance,” said party leader Sohei Kamiya. “We will ensure that the number of foreign workers admitted into the country is limited.”
