LDP Calls for More Spending to Make Japan Resistant to Disasters

July 16, 2018

Tokyo- An increasing number of lawmakers in Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party are calling for making the country resistant to disasters by improving related infrastructure.

They hope to see steady growth in spending on such infrastructure in the wake of a powerful earthquake that hit the western prefecture of Osaka last month and recent record rain that heavily damaged such prefectures as Hiroshima, Okayama and Ehime, also in western Japan, apparently with a view to attracting support for the party from the construction industry in next year's election for the House of Councillors, the upper chamber of the Diet, Japan's parliament, sources familiar with the matter said.

While these lawmakers aim to have the government earmark necessary funds under a fiscal 2018 supplementary budget it may compile, there are concerns about a further deterioration in the nation's fiscal condition.

As a large-scale disaster could happen anywhere in the country, now is the time to consider how to cope with the situation, Wataru Takeshita, chairman of the LDP's decision-making General Council, said at a meeting in the central Japan city of Niigata on Saturday.

At a press conference last Tuesday, LDP Secretary-General Toshihiro Nikai said, "Priority needs to be placed on taking full-fledged measures (to reduce disaster damage) although fiscal problems should not be ignored."

On Thursday, former LDP Secretary-General Hiroyuki Hosoda, who is close to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, said, "The torrential rain in western Japan confirmed the need for large-scale (flood control) dams."

Apparently behind the remarks by the LDP bigwigs are their concerns about the economy toward the Upper House election and a series of local elections, also slated next year, sources said.

Signs of slowdown are seen in the Japanese economy, which has been performing well on the back of the prime minister's Abenomics reflationary policy mix. Critics are also pointing to the economic gaps between metropolitan and rural areas.

In addition, public support for Abe's cabinet has not fully recovered after plunging in the wake of a series of scandals involving his administration, including alleged favoritism for school operators Moritomo Gakuen and Kake Educational Institution.

"We would lose (in the elections) unless we use money for disaster-hit areas," a senior LDP official said. Making Japan a country resistant to disasters is "an eye-catching policy," the official said.

Abe has also instructed his government staff to take measures allowing local governments to spend massively on postdisaster reconstruction projects without worries about costs, according to people close to the prime minister.

It appears that Abe aims to use the initiative to make Japan disaster-resistant as a springboard for his possible bid for a third term as LDP president in a party leadership election in September, pundits said.

Meanwhile, LDP Policy Research Council Chairman Fumio Kishida, also viewed as a potential candidate in the party race, is putting priority on fiscal reconstruction.

In the recording of a television program on Friday, he said, "Fiscal consolidation shouldn't be made light of" although a review of budget-related matters is necessary.

The Finance Ministry is believed to be cautious about sharp spending growth, after the government's public works budget has increased for the sixth straight year through fiscal 2018, informed sources said. Jiji Press