In Japan’s election, voters hope for relief from rising prices | Elections News
Tokyo, Japan — Tomoko Ida, a 48-year-old graphic designer and mother of two living in Tokyo, has reduced her family’s rice consumption due to soaring prices of the staple food. “A few years ago, 5 kilograms of rice cost around 3,000 yen ($19), but now it ranges from 4,000 to 5,000 yen ($25 to $32),” Ida told Al Jazeera. In an effort to save on rice, her family, which consumes approximately 10 kilograms (22 pounds) each month, is substituting pasta and noodles several times a week.
Ida’s concerns reflect a broader anxiety shared by Japanese voters as they head to the polls for a general election on Sunday. Rising living costs are a predominant issue, with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) coalition competing against the opposition Centrist Reform Alliance.
Financial pressures have intensified for many households over the past year, as inflation-adjusted wages have decreased for 11 consecutive months, dropping by 2.8 percent in November, according to government statistics. While the overall inflation rate in Japan hovers around 2 to 3 percent, food prices have surged significantly. Notably, rice prices increased by nearly 68 percent last year due to shortages stemming from a poor harvest in 2023.
Imported food items have also seen sharp price rises, in part due to a weakened yen that has diminished consumer purchasing power. Nao Hanaoka, a 29-year-old IT consultant in Tokyo, noted, “I went to a department store to buy British tea as a treat, but it was over 1.5 times the price from a few years ago, so I decided against it.” Hanaoka, who had planned to attend an international conference last year, saw those plans thwarted by the weak yen’s impact on conference fees.
A recent survey by public broadcaster NHK revealed that 45 percent of respondents identified measures to reduce prices as the most critical factor in their voting decisions. Koichi Nakano, an associate professor of political science at Sophia University, emphasized that rising prices, alongside increased taxes and social security contributions, have put additional pressure on households.
Amid these economic challenges, Takaichi has made cost-of-living issues a focal point of her campaign, just months after becoming Japan’s first female prime minister. She has pledged to suspend the country’s 8 percent tax on food and non-alcoholic beverages for two years if her coalition is re-elected. This tax proposal follows last year’s approval of the largest stimulus package since the COVID-19 pandemic, amounting to 21.3 trillion yen ($136 billion) and aimed at alleviating living costs through energy bill subsidies and food vouchers.
However, concerns about the sustainability of Japan’s finances have emerged, particularly given the country’s debt-to-GDP ratio of 230 percent, the highest among advanced economies. Following Takaichi’s announcement regarding the dissolution of the lower house in preparation for the elections, foreign investors reacted by selling off Japanese government bonds, driving yields to record highs.
Public skepticism surrounding Takaichi’s tax cut plan was evident in a Nikkei poll last month, where more than half of respondents expressed doubt that the consumption tax suspension would effectively lower prices. In recent campaign appearances, Takaichi has largely avoided discussing her tax pledge.
“I want politicians to focus on policies that improve our lives 10 or 20 years down the road, not just immediate cash handouts,” Hanaoka commented as she prepared to vote for the Centrist Reform Alliance.
Despite these doubts, Takaichi’s coalition is projected to secure a comfortable victory over the opposition alliance, which includes the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and Komeito. An Asahi newspaper poll indicated that the LDP and its junior coalition partner, Japan Innovation Party, are on track to win 300 of the 465 seats in the House of Representatives.
With the election approaching, Ida remains undecided about her vote. “Honestly, I am tired of seeing new political groups with the same faces, just changing their party names,” she said.
Reporting by John Power in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
