As Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi marked her first anniversary in office on Wednesday, Japanese media questioned the effectiveness of her economic and diplomatic policies and voiced concern over her military buildup agenda and increasingly unilateral leadership style.
An editorial published Wednesday by Tokyo Shimbun said Takaichi's pledge to make Japan "strong and prosperous" had yet to translate into tangible progress in either the economy or diplomacy.
On tackling rising prices, which Takaichi has identified as a top priority, the article said the government's measures had yet to produce sufficient results.
A bill to cut the consumption tax on food and beverages has begun deliberations in the House of Representatives, but without concrete measures to secure funding and ease fiscal concerns, the yen could weaken further and push up import prices, undermining the effect of tax cuts.
The newspaper also questioned the substance of Takaichi's pledge to "restore Japanese diplomacy that flourishes on the world's center stage." Despite repeatedly emphasizing close ties with the United States, the government had been unable to prevent Washington from imposing sanctions on Tomoko Akane, president of the International Criminal Court, it said. Takaichi's remarks on the so-called "Taiwan contingency" have also worsened relations between Japan and China, with ties yet to improve, the editorial added.
Over the past year, the Takaichi government has pursued a series of military expansion measures, including deploying domestically developed long-range missiles and lifting restrictions on exports of lethal weapons. Its conservative policy agenda has also included revisions to the Imperial House Law, fueling divisions and concern within Japan.
An editorial published Tuesday by Japan's daily newspaper Shimbun Akahata pointed out that the Takaichi administration, with the goal of building a "war-capable nation," is pushing for a large-scale military expansion.
Japan had achieved its target of raising defense spending to 2 percent of gross domestic product two years ahead of schedule, the editorial said. The government is also seeking to revise the country's three key security documents by the end of this year, while considering a further expansion of military spending toward a level of 3.5 percent of GDP in line with U.S. demands.
Such a course would undermine peace, people's livelihoods and public finances, the editorial warned.
Concerns have also been raised over Takaichi's leadership style. In an editorial published Tuesday, the Mainichi Shimbun said her apparent tendency to personally make every single decision was hindering communication within the government and could even impair its functioning.
The newspaper also criticized her dismissive attitude toward the Diet, noting that she had attended parliamentary sessions less frequently than previous prime ministers and often avoided giving direct answers to questions.
An editorial published Wednesday by the Asahi Shimbun warned that refusing to listen to differing opinions could lead to arbitrary rule, adding that no one within the administration appeared willing to rein her in.
The situation was like "a bus with no one stepping on the brakes while continuing to press the accelerator," the editorial said, warning that the passengers were the entire Japanese public.
Japanese media question Takaichi's military push, governance after 1 year in office
