Japan PM faces cabinet rebellion over tax hikes for defense

TOKYO, Dec 14 (Nikkei) - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida faces rare open dissent from his cabinet over his call to raise taxes to fund an increase in defense spending, with ministers arguing that it is too soon to talk about putting such a burden on the public.

Among the more outspoken critics has been his minister in charge of economic security, Sanae Takaichi, who recently tweeted that she "cannot understand the prime minister's intentions in making comments at this point that discourage wage growth."

Takaichi, who herself is an avid advocate of higher defense spending, stood by her criticism on Tuesday, telling a news conference after a cabinet meeting that "I haven't said anything wrong."

"The prime minister has the power to choose his cabinet, so if I'm dismissed, then so be it," she said.

Comments like these underscore the difficulty Kishida has had with keeping his Liberal Democratic Party in line since the death of former Prime Minister Abe in July left its largest faction without a clear leader to work with on policy matters. The conflict over funding risks bogging down the more fundamental debate over what types of capabilities Japan need to counter the Chinese threat. ...continue reading

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