Fumio Kishida is a member of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), an MP and former foreign minister,
He is contesting the party's presidential election ahead of the general election.
Remarks (these via Reuters):
- some people feel govt may be optimistic about coronavirus situation
- aim to finish vaccination for all those who want it by end November
- must accelerate vaccination, availability of medicine to achieve normality
- govt to give full support for development by year end of coronavirus oral drugs
- must compile economic stimulus package to get public cooperation in containing flow of people, increase hospital beds
- need to swiftly carry out economic measures worth tens of trillion of yen to cope with coronavirus pain
- need to implement business continuation support including payouts to households and businesses
- to provide cash payouts to non-regular workers, women and households with children, who face difficult situation due to coronavirus
- to aim to bring socioeconomic activity close to normal levels as quickly as possible
- calls for thoroughly curbing flow of people, securing hospital beds and medical personnel to cope with variants until normality is achieved
- calls for strengthening crisis response measures through law revision and establishment of "health crisis control agency"
Some positive comments there indeed, but must be taken with a grain of salt given his electioneering.
