Photo/Illutration Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba delivers his first policy speech at a plenary session of the Lower House on Oct. 4. (Koichi Ueda)

In his first policy speech on Oct. 4, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba expressed his determination to restore the public’s trust in politics, which was lost due to the Liberal Democratic Party’s slush fund scandal.

In the speech at a plenary session of the Lower House, he also laid out concrete goals for expanding regional development and establishing a disaster prevention agency, both of which are strong personal priorities.

At the beginning of his speech, Ishiba expressed “deep regret” over the slush fund scandal.

The new prime minister expressed his willingness to “face every member of the Diet who has been implicated in the slush fund scandal issue, ask them to reflect on their actions, and do my utmost to establish a code of ethics that upholds the rules.”

He also emphasized his own commitment to fulfilling public accountability and making the utmost efforts to increase the transparency of political funds.

Ishiba served as the first minister in charge of regional development in the second administration of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

In the speech, he referred to this experience and stated that he would restart “regional development 2.0.”

Ishiba said that “local regions are the main drivers of growth” and that he aims to double the amount of grants for regional development in the initial budget.

He also announced the creation of a new headquarters for regional economies and living environments by developing a council for the realization of the “digital rural city-state concept,” which was launched by the administration of former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

Ishiba also touched on the establishment of a disaster prevention agency, which he had proposed during the LDP presidential campaign.

He declared his intention to “build a disaster-resistant nation that places the highest priority on human life” that can respond to disasters as quickly as possible. He also stated that he will “proceed with preparations for the establishment of a disaster prevention agency with a full-time minister.”

In terms of economic policy, he said that the basic course of his administration will be to continue the Kishida administration’s economic policies, and that he aims for a “growth-oriented economy driven by wage hikes and investment” to end deflation.

He also expressed his intention to quickly formulate economic measures that include support for low-income households to cope with rising prices.

Regarding diplomacy and security issues, Ishiba expressed his desire to “uphold the international order based on the rule of law and further ensure regional security and stability.”

He stated that the Japan-U.S. alliance “will further strengthen its deterrence and response capabilities,” but he did not mention the revision of the Status of Forces Agreement, which has been his pet cause.

Although Ishiba mentioned constitutional revision in his speech, he limited himself to stating, “I hope that the Commission on the Constitution will engage in constructive discussions and actively deepen the national debate in order to realize the proposal during my tenure as prime minister.”

Sessions in which representatives of the ruling and opposition parties will ask questions in response to Ishiba’s policy statements are expected to be held in the Lower House and the Upper House on Oct. 7 and 8.

Ishiba has announced his intention to dissolve the Lower House on Oct. 9 with campaigning kicking off on Oct. 15. Voting will be held on Oct. 27.

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