With the war in Ukraine raising fears of a similar conflagration erupting in East Asia, it’s no wonder that security and foreign policy concerns have found their way to the top of political parties' agendas as official campaigning for the July 10 Upper House election kicks off Wednesday.
Lawmakers are now looking to capitalize on voters’ concerns on this front, with many parties — including the ruling Liberal Democratic Party — putting an unusually large emphasis on defense and diplomacy issues.
On Thursday, while unveiling her party’s platform, LDP policy chief Sanae Takaichi acknowledged the shift in focus from social security and the economy to foreign affairs and security, which she called an “unprecedentedly large” change.