INTERVIEW: LDP’s Nikai dismisses public pension worries

July 9, 2019

Tokyo--Toshihiro Nikai, secretary-general of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, rejected worries over the country's public pension system, in a recent interview with Jiji Press.

"The public pension system is sustainable well into the future thanks to a series of reforms," Nikai said ahead of the July 21 election for the House of Councillors, the upper chamber of parliament. "I've no worries."

Nikai's comments came amid growing concerns about uncertainties over life after retirement in the country, triggered by a controversial government report that said an elderly couple needs 20 million yen in life savings, aside from public pension benefits, to survive after retirement.

"It's a shame to cause misunderstanding and anxieties among the public," Nikai said of the report. He stressed the need to prevent such situations from happening again.

Referring to the campaigning for the Upper House election, Nikai underlined the importance of the LDP presenting to the public its plans on the issue of the decreasing birthrate and aging population.

"It is also necessary that the cabinet of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe continues to firmly and stably address important challenges such as making a strong economy, revitalizing local communities and establishing a disaster-resistant country at a time when the world is grappling with increased tensions," Nikai said.

The Abe cabinet is highly rated by the public for its stable government management and solid achievements, Nikai said. "I think this is a situation where we can ask the public with confidence to let the cabinet continue to take charge, also in the era of Reiwa," he said, referring to the Japanese Imperial era that started in May.

Nikai said that the minimum number of seats targeted by the ruling camp--the LDP and its coalition partner, Komeito--is 63, a majority of the seats contested in the election. "It will not be difficult if we try hard," he said.

He downplayed the impact of major opposition parties unifying their candidates for all prefectural constituencies with one contested seat. No matter how much other parties join forces, they cannot compete against the LDP's traditional solidarity, he said.

Nikai brushed off concerns about the impact of the planned consumption tax increase from 8 pct to 10 pct in October on the LDP's performance in the election.

The tax increase is part of reforms designed to bring reassurance for the future, he said, adding that measures to mitigate its impact are already in place.

Nikai said both the ruling and opposition camps should meet halfway to promote discussions on constitutional amendments. "Parliament has a responsibility to present options that the people can choose from," he said.

"We need to take time to reach agreement, but time should not be spent in vain," Nikai said of stalled parliamentary talks on constitutional amendments. Appropriate decisions are important for the government and ruling bloc, he said. Jiji Press