Photo/Illutration Sanae Takaichi speaks during an interview in Tokyo on Sept. 25. (Ikuro Aiba)

Sanae Takaichi, a candidate in the Liberal Democratic Party’s leadership race, said her call for strengthening rules on allowing foreigners into Japan is not intended to exclude people from abroad.

“If the public is genuinely feeling anxious, we must find a path to resolve those concerns,” Takaichi, former minister in charge of economic security, told The Asahi Shimbun on Sept. 25. “This is not about xenophobia or exclusion (of foreigners).”

Takaichi, 64, also said her remarks about foreign tourists kicking deer in Nara Park were made to demonstrate her stance of confronting the concerns held by the public.

Excerpts from the interview follow:

Question: In a speech during the LDP presidential election campaign, you said some foreign tourists have kicked deer in Nara Park. Was the statement aimed at winning back conservative voters who have drifted away from the party?

Takaichi: I presented it purely as an example. Such behavior is prohibited under the Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties, yet there have been egregious acts, and eyewitnesses have reported them.

A member of the LDP’s Youth Division also said there are areas where people are beginning to feel uneasy about the “perceived level of public safety” in Kawaguchi, Saitama Prefecture.

The foundation for coexisting with foreign nationals is that both sides respect rules. I wanted to show that I am taking the public’s concerns seriously.

Q: Didn’t you think that making such remarks could fuel prejudice against foreigners in general or stoke xenophobia?

A: If the public is genuinely feeling anxious, we must find a path to resolve those concerns.

That is precisely why I included in my campaign pledge the strengthening of a “command center” for foreigner-related issues headed by the prime minister. This is not about xenophobia or exclusion (of foreigners).

Q: Some within the LDP have expressed concern that your remarks might foment division. What do you think?

A: I would be disappointed if they were taken that way. My intention was to raise issues necessary for coexistence, not to create division.

Q: In the LDP presidential election last year, you said you would continue visiting Yasukuni Shrine even after becoming prime minister. But you later said, “There was no need to say that.” Why?

A: Because it would be a private engagement. I reflected on it and realized I spoke out of turn.

Q: In this year’s leadership race, you said you will make a judgment regarding visits to Yasukuni “at an appropriate time and in an appropriate manner.” What considerations do you mean by an “appropriate manner”?

A: I have long found it vexing that this has been turned into a diplomatic problem.

Yasukuni Shrine is a central facility in our country for honoring the war dead. I hope the world becomes a place where we can all show respect to those who gave their lives for their countries. What I should do is help create that environment.

Q: If a sitting prime minister visits Yasukuni Shrine, wouldn’t it inevitably become a diplomatic issue, no matter how you explain it?

A: Many developed countries that once built colonies around the world also have memorial facilities. When senior government officials pay respect there, I do not think they are criticized for causing diplomatic problems.

(This article is based on an interview by Shohei Sasagawa.)

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