LDP policy chief visits Kawaguchi over reported problems with Kurdish residents
Itsunori Onodera, policy chief of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, on Wednesday visited the city of Kawaguchi in Saitama Prefecture, where problems have been reported between Kurdish residents and locals.
Onodera inspected places such as a garbage collection spot where illegal waste dumping has become a problem.
He told reporters that the LDP would compile proposals on issues linked to foreigners and ask the government for appropriate responses.
Onodera met with city officials including Mayor Nobuo Okunoki. The officials suggested there had also been cases of foreigners working illegally.
"Order is the premise of societies in which people coexist," the LDP policy chief said. "We will not live with foreigners who do not maintain order or abide by rules."
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He had tentatively titled it, 'In uncertain times, Japan must remain confident in its global role.' *** Japan should not flinch or have its confidence falter under the current situation where U.S. President Donald Trump's administration is creating uncertainty around the world and taking actions that are averse to our bilateral interests. I want Japan to stand fast and confident in its leadership role. Since the 1980s, when I first visited Japan, the country has continued to evolve and has become such an important member on the global stage. During the time then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, whom I see as a true patriot, was in power, Japan found its footing as a global leader, not just in terms of national security or economic issues. Japan led the role on the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade agreement, but the country also was a humanitarian force for good and so had a very comprehensive global role, growing into a true leadership position on the global stage. I want Japan to remember how prized you are as a nation. I want Japan not to be left uncertain or confused about what it should be doing because the U.S. administration has created such uncertainty that the world needs Japan more than ever as a steady hand. While the United States secures an important part of the global world, we're able to do that because we have allies and partners, including Japan. I am concerned that the Trump administration does not tend to them as they should and that there are not enough experts in the administration to effectively engage with these allies and partners. The top two people — the president and the prime minister — do not reflect the entire relationship between Japan and the United States. Both countries have had such an extended alliance relationship. There are many experts not only within the governments but also in the private sector whom the two countries have nourished, creating an infrastructure in place for that alliance. We should feel reassured by that.
