Photo/Illutration LDP presidential election candidates give campaign speeches in Osaka's Kita Ward on Sept. 18. (Juntaro Oka)

"Enzetsu-kai" meetings are now being held around Japan for the Liberal Democratic Party's nine presidential election candidates to come together and speak to the public.

At the Sept. 17 meeting in Naha, all the contenders showed up in Okinawa's traditional Kariyushi wear (similar to a Hawaiian shirt), perhaps in hopes of appealing to the locals.

As many of the candidates have Cabinet experience as ministers of foreign affairs, defense or as chief Cabinet secretary, I somewhat looked forward to hearing what they had to say about Okinawa's U.S. base problems.

In no time, however, I realized how silly of me it was to expect anything worthwhile.

Shigeru Ishiba was the only one who said "Henoko."

Shinjiro Koizumi, who was born in the U.S. Navy base city of Yokosuka in Kanagawa Prefecture, said, "I want to improve your lives by taking advantage of the presence of U.S. bases."

I presume he was talking about urban development that is premised on the existence of military bases.

This year, Okinawa has already seen four cases of sex crimes committed by U.S. military-related individuals.

Yoko Kamikawa declared, "I will never allow another instance of sexual offense. I will deal with the situation severely."

But she is the sitting foreign minister. I suggest that she start right now, if she wants.

In the past, the LDP had a caucus seeking to revise the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement and recommended that the leaders of local governments be made members of the Japan-U.S. Joint Committee.

Taro Kono was the secretary-general of the caucus, but he has been quite silent of late.

Among the comments made by the nine candidates in Naha, there was very little that offered any concrete policy for alleviating Okinawa's base burden.

The presidential election campaign is now halfway through, with more debate meetings to follow.

Some people are saying that Japan is saddled with problems, but with the record number of candidates running, there is not enough time for everyone to fully make a pitch.

I can see that.

But politicians sometimes reveal their true colors, not so much from what they say than from what they don't say. We need to listen very carefully.

—The Asahi Shimbun, Sept. 19

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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