Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is seeking to steal opposition thunder at this month's general election by mimicking their criticism of predecessor Shinzo Abe's "Abenomics", promising to shrink income gaps and bolster the middle class.
By Linda Sieg TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is seeking to steal opposition thunder at this month s general election by mimicking their criticism of predecessor Shinzo Abe s Abenomics , promising to shrink income gaps and bolster the middle class. Kishida, who served as foreign minister under Abe, could help his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) limit losses in the Oct. 31 poll by blurring differences to the opposition by calling for a new capitalism that would spread the benefits of growth. The LDP faces an opposition more united than at any time in nearly a decade and is expected to lose seats after a huge win in 2017. Although the ruling bloc is likely to keep its lower house majority and hence, its grip on power, big losses would make it more likely Kishida ends up another short-term premier. Borrowing from the opposition s policy playbook is a tactic the long-ruling LDP has often used with success. If voters can t understand the difference, it favours the par
Japan's former premier Shinzo Abe wasn't running in this week's ruling party poll to pick the country's next leader but the victory of his one-time foreign minister, Fumio Kishida, means Abe and his conservative base are the winners, their policy clout assured.
Analysis-Japan shadow shogun Abe assured clout over next PM Kishida netscape.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from netscape.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
By Linda Sieg TOKYO (Reuters) -Japan s former premier Shinzo Abe wasn t running in this week s ruling party poll to pick the country s next leader but the victory of his one-time foreign minister, Fumio Kishida, means Abe and his conservative base are the winners, their policy clout assured. Abe s muscular defence policies and stern stance toward an assertive Beijing, while leaving the door open to dialogue given vital economic ties with China, will be a foundation of Japan s diplomacy and security policies under Kishida, analysts say. The priority will be to strengthen ties with America and bolster Japan s own defence capabilities, said Tsuneo Watanabe, a senior fellow at the Sasakawa Peace Foundation. But in that process, they will want to limit the economic damage as much as possible. Abe, Japan s longest-serving premier, quit last year citing ill health as his dream of another term faded, but his successor and long-time lieutenant, Yoshihide Suga, inherited his stance. However, Sug