Photo/Illutration Sadanori Yamanaka, chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party’s Research Commission on the Tax System, center, during a meeting at the LDP’s headquarters in Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward in 1987 (The Asahi Shimbun file photo)

Once upon a time, the Liberal Democratic Party’s Research Commission on the Tax System held absolute control over the nation’s tax policy.

Sadanori Yamanaka (1921-2004), who was nicknamed “Zeicho no Don” (something akin to “Mr. Taxation”) in the 1980s, was confronted one day by a reporter who claimed, “I think you are slighting government officials.”

Without missing a beat, Yamanaka responded: “I don’t slight them. I ignore them.”

He presided over backroom meetings, during which he would go through an itemized list of tax revision requests from business groups and government ministries and agencies. And he would decide, on the spot, which requests to grant and which to reject.

When the issue was whether or not to introduce a new tax, Yamanaka once boasted that he wouldn’t even bother to consult “anyone as inconsequential as the party’s top three executives.”

But a scene that unfolded just the other day suggested that it is no longer just the tax research commission, but also the LDP itself, that have lost whatever sway they used to hold over tax-related discussions.

On the issue of raising the income tax threshold, called the “1.03 million yen barrier,” the LDP and Komeito aimed for an ambiguous settlement.

But Motohisa Furukawa, the chairman of the tax research commission of the Democratic Party for the People, rejected it for its lack of substance, likening it to a “manju” steamed bun without its filling of “anko” sweet red bean paste.

I understand that Itsunori Onodera, chairman of the LDP’s policy research council, patched things up by bringing real manju to Furukawa as a peace offering.

An agreement, ultimately drawn up by the three parties, articulated raising the income tax threshold, and the DPP lauded it as a “big step forward.”

The focus, from now on, is by how much. I am also concerned about the size of tax revenue loss.

Measures need to be taken to counter the rising prices of goods. But if the DPP’s proposals are accepted in their entirety, that would reportedly result in a tax revenue loss of 7 trillion yen to 8 trillion yen ($45.3 billion to $51.8 billion).

That has many local governments up in arms already. But Furukawa has ignored the question of how to secure funding, stating that the DPP “is not a party in power.”

His way of conveniently averting his eyes from this very difficult problem runs counter to the party’s slogan of “taiketsu yori kaiketsu,” which translates as “seeking resolution, not confrontation.”

A 19th century American pastor famously said, “A politician thinks of the next election and a statesman thinks of the next generation.”

Where do we look for a statesman?

—The Asahi Shimbun, Nov. 22

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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