Photo/Illutration Yuichiro Tamaki, leader of the Democratic Party for the People, at a news conference on July 2 (Yuki Minami)

The Democratic Party for the People modified language in its Upper House election manifesto that was criticized as xenophobic by voices both inside and outside the party.

A campaign pledge pamphlet released on June 17 contains a message by DPP leader Yuichiro Tamaki that said in part, “We will spend taxes paid by Japanese people on policies for Japanese people by reviewing excessive preferential treatment for foreigners.”

The document has also been published on the DPP website.

In a version available on July 2, the latter part of the sentence read: “by promoting appropriate implementation of systems applied to foreigners.”

The DPP has not publicly announced the change.

However, a senior party official said the DPP has responded based on opinions it received from voters during street speeches and other events.

A young party member said the initial wording was “too blunt,” speculating that the DPP leadership is desperate to keep Sanseito, a rising political party that advocates a “Japanese-first policy,” from poaching conservative voters.

At a news conference on July 2, Tamaki announced an additional public pledge for the July 20 Upper House election taking aim at foreign real-estate investors.

He said home prices have soared in urban centers due partly to purchases by overseas investors for non-residential, speculative purposes and proposed a “vacancy tax” to curb such property acquisitions.

Meanwhile, Tamaki has apparently done a flip-flop on a proposed consumption tax cut, a key plank of his party’s campaign pledges.

The DPP has called for lowering the consumption tax rate to 5 percent until real wages rise in a sustained manner.

In an interview with The Asahi Shimbun and other media outlets on July 1, Tamaki said substantial wage increases this year do not entail a consumption tax cut as an economic stimulus.

He added that he will decide on the issue based on U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff policies, which could adversely affect vehicle sales and the automotive industry.

However, Tamaki said a consumption tax reduction is definitely necessary at the news conference the following day, immediately after Trump cast doubts on a successful conclusion of negotiations with Japan over U.S. tariffs.

(This article was written by Ryutaro Abe and Yuki Minami.)

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