"高市氏、関税巡り「指揮見えず」政府対応を批判"
[Sanae] Takaichi [who had vied with Ishiba for head of LDP, thus PM post] criticized Japanese govt's response to US tariffs, saying ”leadership was absent” " and that Trade Minister Yoji Muto should have gone to US and talked to US Cabinet members before the tariff announcement.
Hints of sour grapes, echoes knee-jerk opposition party reactions and lacking even a concept of a plan... apart from rabble-rousing
https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/9120993effd85ba9bd1ac67efc6a983763a4eb7d
#JapanesePolitics #Japan
Touching on Trump's "America First" stance, Takaichi said "上等だ。日本もジャパンファーストで、製造業を国内にとどめ置く (Fine. Japan should also go "Japan First" and keep manufacturing industries in Japan)"
Can just see collective face-palming at Keidanren and METI
#populism
@minorusaba It is going to be a disaster when she becomes Prime Minister. Though I would expect an Aso style collapse of the LDP when she does achieve the position.
@DrEvanGowan Can understand politicians indulging in sound bites, but as Rogé Karma writes in The Atlantic [Since US tariffs were based on a country's trade surplus vs USA] "there is no clear or obvious path that countries could take to get those tariffs removed even if they wanted to..." and "The only way you will get a tariff reprieve is by groveling at Trump’s feet" which is a strange thing for LDP's Takaichi, CDP's Noda, and DPFP's Tamaki to wish upon #Japan's PM
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/04/trump-tariff-theory-reality/682279/