Kishida Urges Unity for "Consecutive April Election Victories" at LDP Party Convention

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida called for unity to secure victory in the upcoming local elections and House of Representatives by-elections scheduled for April at the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) convention on the 26th.

According to Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei), Prime Minister Kishida delivered a speech at the 90th party convention held at a hotel in Tokyo, saying, "Let's unite as one and definitely win," and emphasized, "We must protect the LDP's seats."

Regarding the House of Representatives by-elections held in four districts, including Chiba 5th district and Wakayama 1st district, he stressed, "This is an important election that could influence future national governance." Japanese media have evaluated this by-election as a midterm assessment of the Kishida administration.

In his speech, Kishida also emphasized the attitude toward the spring labor-management wage negotiations (Chuntu). He stated, "Labor, management, and government must share a common understanding and realize structural wage increases." Concerning measures against high inflation, he said, "We will devote all efforts to investment and reforms to achieve economic growth."

Regarding measures to address the declining birthrate, he said, "We will prioritize this above all," and raised his voice, saying, "We will implement policies on a different level than before and change the consciousness of society as a whole."

He also expressed his stance on constitutional revision. Kishida is promoting constitutional amendment aimed at explicitly stating the existence of the Self-Defense Forces in the constitution during his term.

He said, "I feel that the times demand a prompt revision of the constitution," and added, "I will actively start discussions in the Diet with the help of opposition parties as well."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.