The latest session of parliament draws to a close Wednesday with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in a strong position thanks to consistently high polling, albeit with a slight dip having been seen over the weekend. There is some concern, however, that the specifics of his flagship "new capitalism" economic initiative and plans to fight rising inflation remain mostly undefined.
Kishida has scored some undoubted gains over the course of his inaugural ordinary parliamentary session as prime minister. His Cabinet succeeded in passing bills that will create a children and families agency and aim to enhance economic security. The administration also gained the upper hand over more hawkish elements within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party by fending off attempts to include a controversial defense spending rise to 2% of gross domestic product in a new set of economic and fiscal policy guidelines.
Additionally, joining other Group of Seven nations in opposing Russia’s war in Ukraine and adopting a tough stance on border controls in response to the omicron variant of the coronavirus have proved highly popular among the public.