Opposition parties took aim Wednesday at Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's economic policies, only to give the Liberal Democratic Party chief another chance to play up his administration's "achievements" over the last six months.
"We will rectify the 'twisted' Diet to bring political stability. We will also achieve tangible economic benefits," Abe said at a debate hosted by the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo a day before campaigning for the July 21 Upper House election officially kicks off.
Despite having plenty of issues to choose from, the opposition leaders spent a lot of their time criticizing "Abenomics" and his "three arrows" to shore up the economy — unorthodox monetary easing, aggressive fiscal spending and growth strategies.