Old problems persist despite new poll

Japanese voters' weariness of the whole shebang is understandable. They have been called to the polling stations three times in two years - the general election in December 2012, the Upper House election in July 2013 and gubernatorial elections throughout 2013.

Now, with a general election six days away, the latest opinion polls suggest that the LDP and its junior coalition partner Komeito may garner around 300 seats, or super-majority in the lower house.

So a second landslide win for the LDP seems on the way. But that is unlikely to settle the uncertainty that now surrounds Japan's economy.

Japan's national debt already exceeds 1 quadrillion yen ($8.47 trillion), more than double the country's GDP.

Moody's downgraded Japan a single notch on Dec 1, putting Japan below China and South Korea, and on a par with Bermuda, Oman and Estonia. The rating agency feared Abe's decision last month to push back a second scheduled increase in the sales tax could jeopardize deficit reduction targets.

Abe has promised to raise the sales tax from 8 percent to 10 percent in April 2017. He has also pledged to return the government's primary balance to a surplus by 2020, but without offering any detailed plans.

Abe blamed the first tax increase from 5 percent to 8 percent, which became effective in April, for tipping Japan into a technical recession threatening his across-the-board efforts to haul the economy out of low growth and deflation.

But an 18-month delay in the second tax increase - originally scheduled for October 2015 - has raised doubts about Japan's capability to build its fiscal health.

Morgan Stanley said in its new economic outlook that Japan could fall into "stagflation", a combination of stalled growth and rising prices, if Abe's pro-growth push fails.

Abe has sought a new mandate on his economic policies by calling the snap election. But he has yet to offer greater clarity on where his priorities lie.

An awkward political situation may come out of the extreme weakness of opposition parties and indifference of voters in Japan: a landslide win for an unpopular prime minister with an unpopular platform.

The author is China Daily's Tokyo Bureau Chief. caihong@chinadaily.com.cn