Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s first policy speech at the Diet as the nation’s new leader did little to inspire confidence in his government.

He began by emphasizing his commitment to regaining the “trust in politics” that had been lost due to the slush funds scandal, yet he failed to present specific measures to tackle this political challenge.

In the meantime, lawmakers within his Liberal Democratic Party are engaged in backroom dealing to secure internal consensus on an ethically questionable decision to endorse, in principle, those members who were disciplined over the political funding scandal for the Lower House election to be held later this year.

Ishiba should understand that no amount of superficial platitudes and hollow rhetoric will help him achieve his vowed goal of winning the public’s “understanding and sympathy.”

Ishiba delivered his inaugural general policy speech on Oct. 4, in which he discussed his stance toward the scandal in abstract terms, saying he would “deal with the accused lawmakers afresh, demand their soul-searching, and strive to establish ethical standards that require adherence to the rules.”

However, he did not mention the possibility of a fresh investigation to clarify all the facts about the slush funds or propose any substantial reforms to political funding.

Initially, Ishiba repeatedly stressed the importance of Diet debates before dissolving the Lower House for a snap election, but no sooner had he been elected as the LDP’s new president than he made an about-face and announced his intention to call an election.

No matter how much he claims to aim for “politics for the sake of the people,” it appears he is primarily catering to the interests of the party and its members. Public trust is likely only to decline.

In his speech, Ishiba also touched on his “duty to explain.” As such, he should take the initiative to clarify the suspicions surrounding political funds linked to the former Ishiba faction that have surfaced anew, involving about 800,000 yen in the faction’s income from fundraising parties over three years that was not declared in the political funding reports.

Is this not a case of slush funds? Are there other omissions? A convincing explanation is required.

The speech bypassed the issue of the LDP’s shady relationship with the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (formerly the Unification Church), which was one of the reasons former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida cited for the public’s distrust in politics.

A recently revealed photo of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe meeting with the head of the dubious religious group has cast doubt on the LDP’s claim of no “organizational ties.” If he talks about restoring trust, Ishiba should not overlook this issue, either.

Ishiba’s address indicates that he intends to follow most of the specific policies of the previous Kishida administration. There were glimpses of originality in his calls for expanding policy efforts for regional revitalization, an area he has long been attached to, preparing for setting up a new disaster management agency, which is his pet initiative, and raising the national average minimum wage to 1,500 yen by the end of the 2020s, a promise from his party leader election campaign.

However, all these policy proposals are still in the early stages of fleshing out specifics and details and developing road maps to implementation.

While mentioning Okinawa’s historical hardships during and after World War II, he said he will promote the controversial project to relocate the functions of the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Okinawa’s crowded city of Ginowan to the Henoko district of Nago, also in Okinawa.

Another disappointment was the lack of mention of his proposal to seek revisions to the U.S.-Japan Status of Forces Agreement.

At his inaugural news conference, Ishiba said he would try to speak in his “own words” in the Diet and make efforts to find “resonance with the people.”

There are only three days left for parliamentary discussions before the election, including the final day’s party leader debate. It remains to be seen in the limited time left if he can provide the public with sufficient information to make informed decisions at the polls. Here, too, his commitment to his words will be put to the test.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Oct. 5