“Having a good security relationship with the United States is of utmost importance for the Japanese as a whole,” said Professor Seijiro Takeshita of the University of Shizuoka, highlighting the strategic stakes ahead of Japan’s national election.
Speaking to AnewZ, Takeshita stressed that China’s growing pressure on Tokyo has reinforced public demand for a strong U.S. security umbrella, underlining one of the central challenges facing Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
“The threats are constant, both physical and indirect,” Takeshita added, noting that Japan’s reliance on U.S. forces is widely seen as critical to maintaining national security amid tensions in East Asia.
Takeshita also addressed Takaichi’s economic strategy, which aims to tackle soaring living costs and broader financial pressures through an expansionary fiscal policy.
“That’s a million-dollar question,” he said.
“Her approach may make people worry that fiscal discipline isn’t being maintained, potentially weakening the yen," the expert added, stressing that Japan imports nearly all its oil and has a food self-sufficiency rate of only 38%.
Takeshita described the possible fall of yen as "a double whammy.”
Despite these risks, Takeshita argued that prioritising economic growth over strict debt control aligns with sound economic theory and mirrors lessons from past crises in Europe.
“From that point of view, she’s taking the right move,” he said, adding that patience is key as voters wait to see the effects of her policies.
The dual pressures of security and the economy are shaping Takaichi’s campaign as polls suggest her coalition could secure a decisive victory, but Takeshita cautions that managing both domestic economic concerns and international threats will be critical for her success.
Japan’s House of Representatives was formally dissolved on 23 January, triggering a snap general election scheduled for 8 February to fill all 465 seats in the chamber.
The unusually brief campaign, with the official contest starting only days after the dissolution, is one of the shortest in Japan’s post‑war history and reflects Takaichi’s bid to secure a direct public mandate for her economic and security agenda amid rising living costs and geopolitical tensions.
Takaichi, who became Japan’s first female prime minister in October 2025 and leads a coalition between her Liberal Democratic Party and the Japan Innovation Party, said the early election would let voters judge her leadership and policy approach, while critics argue the timing could disrupt parliamentary business, including budget deliberations.
Georgia and Armenia have resumed talks on their 225-kilometre border after years of limited progress, with disputes over historical boundaries, far...
China has extended the suspension of its additional 24 per cent tariff on U.S. goods for another two months, while keeping a 10 per cent levy in pl...
Russia and Ukraine are set to return to Abu Dhabi on Tuesday for a fourth round of U.S.-brokered peace talks, with European participation, security...
The gunman who allegedly killed six people in Poland’s unprecedented mass shooting in central Kraków on Saturday has died in hospital, police said early Monday. The attacker had demonstrated advanced military-style marksmanship skills, according to a spokesperson for the shooting club he attended.
Poland has declared two days of national mourning after a gunman opened fire in Kraków's historic main square. Investigators are examining possible far-right influences and the discovery of three bodies at the suspect's home.
Monday marks the second of two days of national mourning in Poland as police bolstered security after six people were killed in a mass shooting in Kraków.
The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen's Houthis said it intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles fired by the Iran-aligned group towards Riyadh on Sunday (8 November), after loud booms were heard in the Saudi capital. The Aramco building was damaged by falling debris.
Azerbaijan is marking the sixth anniversary of Victory Day on Sunday, 8 November, with President Ilham Aliyev visiting the Victory Monument in Khankendi, laying a wreath and paying tribute to servicemen killed during the 44-day Second Garabagh War in 2020.
China has extended the suspension of its additional 24 per cent tariff on U.S. goods for another two months, while keeping a 10 per cent levy in place, as Beijing and Washington seek to maintain their fragile trade truce.
Russia and Ukraine are set to return to Abu Dhabi on Tuesday for a fourth round of U.S.-brokered peace talks, with European participation, security guarantees and territorial disputes expected to shape the negotiations.
The bodies of 13 migrants have been recovered from a boat off the Greek island of Crete, the Greek coast guard said on Monday. A further 18 people were rescued, with four taken to hospital.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog has tasked Gadi Eisenkot, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s main rival, with trying to form a government after an inconclusive election. The decision, announced on Saturday, follows a vote that left neither candidate with a clear path to power.
U.S. President Donald Trump is set to host Qatar’s prime minister at the White House on Monday as efforts to end the conflict with Iran stall, with Washington and Tehran still far apart on the terms of a possible agreement.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment