[Second in a series]
<The upcoming Upper House election focuses mainly on economic policies and less on agriculture and rural villages. What will happen to our food resources under the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement? How did lives in rural areas change under the “economy comes first” policy? These are significant issues that are closely related to the Japanese people. The Japan Agricultural News asked three experts what they think are the issues which need to be addressed in the election.>
Yoshida Terumi
Current politics appear to be working to strengthen the power of authorities and take away the rights of people. Politicians make policies for major companies that occupy 1 percent of the total economy and ignores the remaining 99 percent. They don’t value individuals.
A good example is the United States-led Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement, a deal that prioritizes corporate interests and ignores individual rights.
The ruling bloc’s political leadership has led to the creation of a social structure that widens economic inequality. Opposition parties which fail to take a stand against the ruling bloc, as well as media companies that try to curry favor with the administration, are also to blame.
However, the biggest problem lies with the people who are ignorant. Things are made worse because of the people who don’t vote even when the nation is facing a situation which could lead to war. There are so many people who depend on the government to take care of problems and who don’t care about things going on in Okinawa or Fukushima, thinking they are someone else’s business.
Politics shouldn’t be separated from our everyday lives. Therefore, when we vote, we must think of our own lives and the future of our children. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says the focus of the upcoming Upper House election is economic policies, but it is not politicians who decide what the questions at issue are. The people should be the ones to decide the issues to focus on.
I often have the chance to visit rural villages, but I’m worried because many rural areas lack energy. In order to create a decent society, a nation should maintain so-called satoyama, sustainable rural communities that exist in harmony with nature. Politicians’ role is not to increase income of a few large-scale farms, but to support rural villages as a whole.
The government’s task should be to promote the nation’s agriculture, forestry and fisheries, but Japan has been taking a completely opposite path. It has adopted the “economy comes first” policy, but we are beginning to see its limits. We can’t find individual happiness in a society with wealth inequality.
Farmers should be angered at politicians. The Japanese people should criticize politicians more. Criticizing politics should not be a taboo. Politicians don’t stand above people, but they stand for people.
We must make clear what is right and what is wrong. We shouldn’t feel intimidated or give up about speaking out on politics. In a healthy society, people should be able to give their opinions on politics from various standpoints.
I don’t support any specific political party. I want to cast a vote for a party that thinks seriously about people’s lives.
When the Democratic Party of Japan was in power, the Liberal Democratic Party was against the TPP talks. In politics, many important things are hidden under the table. I can understand the feelings of farmers who say they can’t trust either of the ruling and opposition parties. But because we are in such a critical situation, we have to seriously think about how to make our lives better and face political challenges. The upcoming Upper House election marks a turning point for Japan, and we ourselves are at stake.
<Profile> Born in Tokyo in 1951, Terumi Yoshida began his career in 1974 as an announcer at a radio station Nippon Cultural Broadcasting. He currently hosts a radio show “Yoshida Terumi Tobe (Fly)! Salvador” for the broadcaster.