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On September 1, the candidates running in the DPJ President’s election held a joint press conference at a Tokyo venue. Candidates Ichiro Ozawa and Naoto Kan each expressed their resolution to work to rebuild Japanese society as President of the DPJ, or the person entrusted with the running of the nation’s affairs. They each set forth their political philosophy, signalling their intention of engaging in a fair and square policy battle during the election, and vowed to unite the party following the election in order to respond to the expectations of the Japanese people.
At the start of the press conference, Central Election Administration Committee Chair Tadamasa Kodaira, who acted as MC, outlined the procedures for the event, saying, “We would like you each to make an appeal to the people, showing your resolution and your political philosophy.” He said that each candidate would be entitled to make a 5 minute speech and called on reporters to ask questions applicable to both candidates during the following question and answer session, to ensure the proceedings were fair and impartial.
Reporters asked joint questions to both candidates regarding (1) the key themes of the election campaign, (2) amending the party’s Manifesto, and in particular their opinion regarding consumption tax, and (3) their intended response after the election. In addition, there were also questions regarding sources of revenue, the relocation of Futenma base and politics and money.
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