Progressive-leaning Major Japanese Daily Newspapers Give 'Failing Grade' to Prime Minister Kishida's First Parliamentary Speech

Right-Wing Sankei Shimbun Sympathizes with Prime Minister Kishida's Awareness of Issues

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[Asia Economy Reporter Gong Byung-sun] Major progressive-leaning Japanese daily newspapers gave failing grades to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's first policy speech since taking office. The policy speech refers to the speech given by the Japanese Prime Minister at the start of an extraordinary Diet session to state the basic stance on current national issues.

On the 9th, the Mainichi Shimbun criticized in an editorial, “Prime Minister Kishida declared that he would practice ‘new capitalism’ aiming for politics that can gain ‘trust and empathy,’ but he did not clearly state that he would correct the policies of the previous Abe and Suga administrations,” adding, “There was no sign of a will for change.”

It continued, “Prime Minister Kishida repeatedly stated that the Abe and Suga administrations caused a significant collapse of public trust and that democracy was in crisis, but in his first Diet speech, he did not mention any issues related to money scandals or falsification and destruction of official documents linked to those two administrations,” pointing out, “The sincerity of his previous statements is doubtful.”

The Mainichi Shimbun also criticized the failure to clearly point out the negative aspects of ‘Abenomics,’ the main economic policy of the Abe and Suga administrations, which emphasized growth and efficiency. Although Prime Minister Kishida declared that he would revise the growth-focused economic policy direction and focus on wealth distribution, the omission of any mention of Abenomics was seen as considerate toward former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Furthermore, the editorial took issue with the lack of concrete methods for securing related funding while emphasizing distribution policies.

The Tokyo Shimbun also criticized Prime Minister Kishida in an editorial titled “No sign of the Prime Minister’s resolve for the revival of democracy.” The Tokyo Shimbun explained that while Kishida mentioned the crisis of democracy until he ran for the LDP presidency, after becoming Prime Minister, he has not addressed scandals related to former Prime Minister Abe, such as the Moritomo Gakuen incident.

The Moritomo Gakuen incident refers to a scandal involving the private school corporation Moritomo Gakuen in Japan, where a close aide of former Prime Minister Abe was implicated in corruption during the approval process for establishing an elementary school and the sale of state-owned land. This scandal was a decisive factor in bringing down the Abe administration.

The Asahi Shimbun also emphasized in an editorial that Prime Minister Kishida’s first Diet speech was insufficient to gain public trust and empathy. The speech lacked concreteness regarding new capitalism and did not mention political and financial issues that were problematic in previous administrations. However, it positively evaluated his remarks as a Hiroshima-born Prime Minister who experienced the atomic bomb attack in the past, pledging to devote efforts toward realizing a world without nuclear weapons.

Japan’s largest comprehensive daily, the Yomiuri Shimbun, covered Prime Minister Kishida’s speech in an editorial but refrained from evaluation, limiting itself to explanations and requests. The right-leaning Sankei Shimbun advised that Prime Minister Kishida’s awareness of new capitalism as two wheels?growth and distribution strategies that must work together?is correct and emphasized the importance of concretizing policies.