The June 25 Lower House election will be critical for Japan, since it will mark the first step in charting the nation's course for the 21st century. The most important campaign issue is the makeup of the next government. These alternatives are possible: the existing tripartite coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party, New Komeito and the New Conservative Party; a new alliance made up of opposition forces; or a new coalition that combines the ruling and opposition parties.
Another important campaign issue, as far as economic management is concerned, is how to balance the budget in the coming years and how to fund the increasing social-security costs created by the graying population.
In the field of security, no less important issues involve constitutional amendments, legislation for dealing with military emergencies and revisions of the Japan-U.S. security system to deal with the changing international situation.