EDITORIAL: Standstill in the Diet

Liberal Democratic Party President Sadakazu Tanigaki said Wednesday the main opposition party will not agree to bipartisan talks over a sweeping reform of the tax code, including the consumption tax, unless Prime Minister Naoto Kan first decides to dissolve the Lower House for a snap election.

Tanigaki made the statement during a Lower House session while, as the representative of his party, posing questions to the prime minister regarding his policy speech. Tanigaki, who has pledged to press the ruling camp to dissolve the Lower House this year, ratcheted up his confrontational rhetoric.

Kan rejected Tanigaki's overture, saying he has no plan to dissolve the chamber. That means there is no prospect, at least for now, of the ruling and opposition camps discussing tax reform.

After listening to Wednesday's session, our fear is that the LDP's stance could end up worsening the nation's fiscal and social security crises by delaying a policy response to the urgent challenge.

Tanigaki points out that Kan himself has pledged to seek a fresh popular mandate when he embarks on any radical tax reform.

The LDP chief says if Kan drops his argument that funds to finance the Democratic Party of Japan's policy proposals can be raised by eliminating wasteful spending and then raises the consumption tax, he should dissolve the Lower House for a snap election before crafting a plan for the tax overhaul.

Kan, of course, should honor his promises. We should keep in mind that Kan on Wednesday said he had not changed his policy of seeking a public mandate for his proposal to raise the consumption tax.

But what good would arise if a general election is called before talks on tax reform are held and a reform blueprint is presented to the public?

The government of the LDP-New Komeito coalition revised the income tax law to ensure the enactment of new legislation for fundamental tax reform by the end of fiscal 2011. The Kan administration has promised to act according to the revised law.

It is difficult to spot differences between the two major parties on this issue. If a general election is held now, voters would find themselves at a loss on how to vote.

There should first be talks between the ruling and opposition parties on tax reform to clarify key points of contention. If the talks lead to an agreement, that would be fine. Even if no deal is made, such talks would at least make clear the differences between the two sides.

A general election held without this process could not be an opportunity for meaningful policy competition or voters' verdict on reform plans.

It is true that the DPJ-led government has failed to secure sufficient budget savings to finance all of the proposals on its election manifesto. The ruling party should candidly admit the fact and offer an apology to voters.

It is doubtful, however, whether this makes a compelling case for a fresh election to "choose the government." It is still less than a year and a half since the last Lower House election, and the Lower House members have yet to serve more than half of their four-year term.

It should be noted that frequent national elections could have serious negative effects on politics. In today's Japan, there is a plethora of elections that could lead to a change in prime minister: Lower House elections, Upper House polls and the ruling party's leadership contests.

The downsides of this situation have been underscored by the recent series of short-lived administrations. The situation has caused a proliferation of policy proposals designed to garner votes, making it difficult for the government to make steady efforts to tackle difficult policy challenges and pursue long-term policy goals.

Voters need a certain period of time to make decisions with careful consideration of relevant factors. The ruling and opposition parties have a duty to make clear the points of contention so that voters can make informed decisions at the polls.

If they neglect to do so, the nation's democracy could become a shallow political game dictated by fleeting trends and emotions.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Jan. 27