“Down with VAT, the taxman and foreigners!”: in Japan, the emergence of an unclassifiable populist movement
Against a backdrop of inflation, a Poujadist-style movement has emerged in Japan, calling for a mixed bag of demands for a reduction in VAT, the abolition of the Ministry of Finance, and the expulsion of foreigners. These mobilizations are partly shaping the campaign for the July 20 Senate elections.
It's around 6:30 p.m. On April 4, as office workers hurried home, about sixty people gathered in Kasumigaseki [the government district in Tokyo]. This is an "initial demonstration in front of the Ministry of Finance," as its organizer, Mansaku Ikedo, calls it.
This 41-year-old political and economic commentator advocates the idea of stimulating the economy by issuing government bonds [i.e., a partial privatization of the budget by small investors]. Along with the participants, he repeatedly chants the slogan “The Ministry of Finance must lower VAT!”
Nearby, a man holds up a sign reading “There is no magic solution.” He says he opposes massive issuance of deficit bonds, fearing they will lead to long-term tax increases and a decline in international credibility [in Japan's financial affairs]. An altercation breaks out between him and protesters on the other side, forcing the police to separate them.
For its part, the group of protesters is demanding nothing less than the abolition of the Ministry of Finance. The placards, accompanied by the red circle of the Japanese flag, read "Japanese first"
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