I never expected the LDP to win by such a landslide… Honestly, it was completely unexpected. I’m an independent and my voting decisions depend on the political situation at the time. For that reason, I don’t particularly find it strange that the LDP is the ruling party, but to be honest, I was horrified to see such a landslide victory. It made me feel uneasy, as if we were living in a pro-government system.

It has long been said that Japanese voters are driven by the wind, but the wind created by Prime Minister Takaichi seems to have been quite strong. Perhaps many voters voted not because they agreed with the LDP’s policies, but because they were captivated by Takaichi’s aura.

That’s fine in itself, but the problem is what happens after that.

I want stability in politics. Because I believe that if politics are stable, the rest will grow through the power of the people. I don’t think a landslide LDP victory is a bad thing, as it leads to political stability. However, politics resembling a pro-government system inevitably gets out of control. Sometimes this outrageousness turns out to be good, and sometimes it’s bad. I’m not entirely sure what Prime Minister Takaichi is trying to do, but to me he seems like the type of nationalist who prioritizes strengthening the nation over the happiness of the people.
It seems that Takaichi admires former British Prime Minister Thatcher, known as the Iron Lady. Thatcher is famous as a reformer, but frankly, she is disliked by the British people. There are still people who express anger, saying, “Thatcher caused us all so much.” It was Thatcher who led the use of force in the Falklands War in 1982.
Reading Thatcher’s biography, it’s clear that she was a true patriot who worked tirelessly to revive Britain, which had been mocked as suffering from the “British Disease.” That in itself is admirable and worthy of recognition, but it doesn’t seem to have necessarily benefited the British people.
I don’t want Prime Minister Takaichi to become like Thatcher. That’s my true feeling. (Kei Kitajima)

※Translating Japanese articles into English with AI