The “right to know” revealed by the Liberal Democratic Party presidential election!

Hirokazu Kobayashi

CEO, Green Insight Japan, Inc.

Professor Emeritus and Visiting Professor, University of Shizuoka

Throughout history, "information control" of the people has been a common government practice, but it seems to have become irrelevant in Japan today. Article 21 (Freedom of Expression) and Article 13 (Respect for the Individual) of the "Constitution of Japan" are supposed to guarantee the people's right to know. The Constitution of Japan was drafted by the General Headquarters of the Allied Powers (GHQ) and took effect in 1946. Due to its origins, it guarantees the fundamental human rights of citizens, although some parts of it need to be updated and reflect the current situation, in addition to security. During the recent Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) presidential election, mass media such as television and newspapers deliberately violated it. It is believed that this has happened in the past, but the spread of social networking services (SNS) today has highlighted the manipulation of information by the mass media.

Sanae Takaichi's policies were based on an emphasis on the economy and security, and her clear argument that she would try to revive the economy through "proactive fiscal policy" was something that no other candidate could match. Since the collapse of the bubble economy in 1992, Japan's general account expenditures have exceeded general account tax revenues, and when combined with special public bonds and construction bonds, the cumulative total is reported to have reached 1,152.2 trillion yen, being equivalent to 7.9 trillion US dollars, as of the end of the 2023 fiscal year (Ministry of Finance, Summary of Consolidated Financial Statements for Fiscal Year 2023). The Ministry of Finance plans to resolve this through tax increases under the “fiscal austerity” policy. However, this view is one-sided. According to the “Consolidated Balance Sheet,” the total assets as of the end of the 2023 fiscal year amount to 1,048.9 trillion yen, being equivalent to 7.2 trillion US dollars (Ministry of Finance, Summary of Consolidated Financial Statements for Fiscal Year 2023). Furthermore, the assets of the Bank of Japan, which can be considered a subsidiary of the government, were reported to be 756.4 trillion yen, equivalent to 5.2 trillion US dollars, as of the end of fiscal year 2023 (Financial Statements for the 139th Fiscal Year). According to the 2019 IMF (International Monetary Fund) report, Japan's total assets and liabilities are around 300% of GDP, and the difference between total assets and liabilities, known as net assets, is nearly zero. The government's net assets are as follows: United Kingdom < France < Germany < United States < Japan < Canada (all except Canada have negative values), and it is difficult to say that Japan's finances are significantly in deficit compared to other countries. In other words, Japan's fiscal situation cannot be described as deficit-ridden, and the severity of its accumulated national debt is relatively low. Therefore, Japan has room to pursue an aggressive fiscal policy rather than an austere one, and it is expected that only by pursuing an aggressive budgetary policy will it be possible to emerge from the economic slump.

Another point of contention is international security. Japan's territorial waters and airspace border China, Russia, and North Korea, and the country is threatened by its ships, fighter jets, and missiles. With China, there is the issue of the Senkaku Islands; with Russia, there is the issue of the Northern Territories (Etorofu, Kunashiri, Shikotan, and the Habomai Islands); and with South Korea, there is the issue of Takeshima, and no solution has been found. According to the "Public Opinion Survey on Diplomacy" (January 2024) conducted by the Cabinet Public Relations Office, the ratio of people who "feel friendly toward" China and Russia to those who "do not feel friendly toward" them is 12.7 to 86.7 and 4.1 to 95.3, respectively. In other words, it is clear that public opinion is not pro-China or pro-Russia, but when it comes to territorial disputes, it is divided into two camps: the soft and the hard. Many news media were suspicious of the hard-line stance taken by Takaichi and others, including their visits to Yasukuni Shrine, and public opinion tended to follow suit. This overlaps with the current supporters and opponents of the Japanese Constitution and connects with the supporters and opponents of the female line emperors in the Imperial Household Law.

Although the media is generally considered to be on the liberal left, there is reported a bias of about ten times toward "neoliberal economic" policies, which argues that it is necessary to expand free trade and reduce spending to allow efficient market allocation rather than "Keynesian economic" policies, which say that it is essential to invest in infrastructure and increase spending in unstable markets. The mass media also tend to avoid reporting critically on austerity measures, and this is often described as “media control” by the government. The following factors are supposed to contribute to this. (1) To obtain up-to-date information from the government, media organizations maintain close ties with the government, including personnel exchanges. (2) Government announcements that include intentions to pursue austerity measures are reported without analysis or consideration, reflecting the media's bias. (3) There is deference to the Ministry of Justice, which oversees the Broadcasting Law in television and radio. (4) Media organizations have incentives to avoid tax benefits and legal troubles. For example, when the Chunichi Shimbun newspaper took a strong stance against a consumption tax hike, the National Tax Agency, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Finance, conducted a tax audit (source: Takaaki Mitsuhashi, 2025). Even if no additional taxes are imposed, organizing records and providing explanations requires significant time, prompting media organizations to avoid such situations. In other words, compared to social networking sites, where there is no need to consider the government, mass media coverage has a particular bias. In addition to the information that Takaichi's popularity was low, there was also coverage of Takaichi's national policy report materials as campaign materials. Prominent political commentators also added to these arguments. Do these media and commentators know that they are being subjected to scathing criticism on social networking sites? The questions asked by the moderators, which were less related to the substance of the debate, were aimed at obscuring the candidates' arguments. The media coverage of the LDP presidential election highlighted the violation of the public's right to know, and as a result, the media-supported candidate, Shigeru Ishiba, was elected president. In other words, it could be said that the media won, but it also highlighted the media's bias in reporting. There are probably many people who are disappointed and angry about this state of Japanese society. 81% of Japanese now use social networking services. The media and critics ignoring social networking sites have led to a loss of trust in them.

After Friday's decision, the exchange rate swung sharply in favor of the Yen. This leads us to predict a crash on Monday. The birth of a new prime minister usually leads to a rise in stock prices as a "congratulatory gift," but this time, it is almost abnormal. This is reminiscent of the birth of UK Prime Minister Liz Truss. When Truss became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in 2022, the British stock market fell sharply due to her proposed economic policies. As a result, she became the UK's shortest-serving prime minister, holding office for just 50 days. The shortest-serving prime minister in Japan was Prince Naruhiko Higashikuni, who served only 54 days from August 17 to October 9, 1945. The prime ministers were Tsutomu Hata (who served 64 days from April 28 to June 30, 1994) and Tanzan Ishibashi (65 days from December 23, 1956, to February 25, 1957). The Ishiba administration is rocky, but we must wait and see for now.