Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and Liberal Democratic Party head Shinzo Abe on Sunday stepped up their rhetoric ahead of the general election and agreed to hold a face-to-face debate on the Internet to highlight their policy differences.
Speaking on a TV program, Noda again tore into Abe's suggestion that the Bank of Japan adopt more aggressive monetary easing to combat deflation, specifically by purchasing government construction bonds to finance public works. The prime minister dismissed Abe's plan as "extremely dangerous," arguing it could result in steep inflation.
"(The LDP's policy) would leave huge debts for future generations to pay off and put our nation at risk" because the downside risks would far outweigh any positive effects if the BOJ were to pump liquidity into the market in such a manner, Noda warned.