Posted on 02/09/2026 11:49:48 AM PST by EnderWiggin1970
Summary
Takaichi's ruling party delivers supermajority in Sunday vote
Takaichi repeats pledge to suspend food tax
Says govt will not issue fresh debt, discuss funding with others
Focus on debate over funding, risk of market revolt
TOKYO, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi renewed a pledge on Monday to cut a sales tax on food, after a historic election win brightened chances for stimulus measures that have rattled financial markets.
Takaichi's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) romped to victory in Sunday's poll, helped by a pledge to ease household living costs by suspending for two years the tax of 8% on food, a move she has called a "long‑cherished dream".
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
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Japan will rearm
They have my permission to take Manchuria this time.
Just don’t go too crazy in Nanking, though.
Leika Kihara …Not “Reika”?
We need Japan to help keep China in check.
Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere 2.0?
Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere 2.0?
That’s what China is already doing.
No, most of this is because the LDP (kinda like Japan’s republicans) had been paying attention to Rahm Emmanuel (Obama’s old chief of staff/ambassador to Japan) and following Korea’s lead in trying to retardify Japanese women with liberal crap.
When Takaichi got boosted, she was a double repudiation - she was female AND conservative. But the biggest thing is she promised to lower the consumption tax (10%) to a lower rate and deport some of the troublesome foreigners that are bugging Japanese.
Mainly Chinese!
I see what you did there; very good.
“Is this election at least in part a consequence of this effect?”
I don’t know the answer to that question, but I do know what directly affected the outcome of this election. Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi made a comment to the effect that a Chinese attack on Taiwan was a direct threat to Japan requiring a military response. This was made during questioning by Japan’s parliament. The Chinese went what we in the south call “ape shit.” They immediately said they’d halt all rare Earth shipments to Japan until she took back her comment. This childish display greatly increased Takaichi’s popularity and directly led to the snap election that has increased her power. China realized it had stepped into some serious dog poo and quietly rescinded their threat.
You can’t have a modern economy without “rare Earths.” We used to be self-sufficient, but the various state and federal EPA’s ran the mines and processors out of business. China has stepped in and taken 90% of the known supply and a similar amount of processing which is done by acid extraction and the traditional methods are extremely dirty. This is a big reason that China has very little potable water. But it doesn’t have to be dirty. Still, try to open a mine or processing facility in the US. Nonstarter.
Even at a per capita level, Japan has seen nearly zero GDP growth since 1995. Something seriously wrong in that country, but it also begs the question whether GDP is a good measure of wealth. America has left Japan in the dust.
I grew up in the Detroit area in the 70’s and 80’s, where the struggles of the Big 3 in their competition with Japanese automakers was daily news. We kids were flooded with this sense that Japan was an unstoppable juggernaut and economic powerhouse. Then the real estate crash happened and... crickets. Crickets for the last 35 years.
The drug dealers there (when I was there) were mostly Pakis.
The problem with the Chinese, is that China won’t take them back (refused the deportations).
Then the real estate crash happened and... crickets. Crickets for the last 35 years.
Then came China.
Yes, and China’s economic power is also probably over estimated. A lot of production is now going to Thailand and India, as well as the fact China is seeing negative population growth. The bigger worry of China is their military funding.
China are hookers and crooks, throw trash in the streets, drug people at bars to rob them, and just generally rude and bad behavior. Oh ya they steal like crazy too.
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