October 6, 2026
Japanese Communist Party Executive Committee Chair Tamura Tomoko, at a press conference in the Diet building on October 5, stated that Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae’s policy speech to the Diet lacked policies which address public demands: “Do something about the high prices!”
Tamura questioned whether decreasing the consumption tax rate on food to 1%, as PM Takaichi promised in her speech, would actually help combat rising prices overall.
Regarding social welfare programs, Tamura said, “PM Takaichi didn’t say a single word about how to ensure the reliability of social welfare programs. Her speech didn’t give the general public any hope.”
PM Takaichi in her speech repeatedly emphasized the “investment” plan totaling more than 370 trillion yen over 15 years. To this, Tamura countered that the ongoing long-term economic slump was not caused by a lack of investment but by stagnant wages. Tamura also said that including the defense industry among the investment targets will be “dangerous.” She warned that if the Takaichi government intends to use deficit-financing government bonds to fund this investment, long-term interest rates will rise further and the depreciation of the yen will accelerate even more.
Tamura noted that PM Takaichi did not discuss Japan’s stance toward the U.S. Trump administration, which favors “rule by force” and disregards “rule of law,” nor did she present Japan’s measures to tackle the climate crisis.
Tamura criticized PM Takaichi for only speaking about promoting AI development and utilization despite warnings about the “existential risks to humanity” posed by the unregulated development of AI systems.
Regarding the country’s agricultural sector, where the number of farmers and the amount of farmland are dramatically declining, Tamura noted that PM Takaichi did not mention any support measures.
The JCP chair expressed her determination to bring about political change through a national movement together with concerned citizens and through Diet debates led by JCP lawmakers.
