New internal affairs minister Fujii vows to revamp local government systems

Tokyo – Japan needs to strengthen local government systems to address labor shortages, new internal affairs minister Hisayuki Fujii said in an interview on Wednesday.

Small local governments are particularly affected by labor shortages, said Fujii, who took office on Sept. 17 as part of a Cabinet reshuffle by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.

“It’s important to expedite the review of administrative procedures and role allocations to allow local governments to focus on creative administrative tasks,” he said.

Fujii acknowledged that the furusato nōzei hometown tax donation program is “very significant” in addressing regional challenges. Noting that local governments seek a reduction in the fees they pay to dedicated portal site operators, he said the central government will discuss the matter as part of an annual tax system review later this year.

He said that he will ask social media platform operators to take voluntary actions to mitigate negative impacts on elections from false information before the new law that requires them to do so takes effect.

Elections are “fundamental to democracy” and combating misinformation about them and defamation of candidates is a “critical challenge,” he said.

Asked about economic security, Fujii emphasized the importance of submarine cables, which cover 99% of the country’s international communications. He outlined plans to secure supply capacity, support cable laying and implement multi-routing to reduce disruption risks, and enhance cable protection.

The minister suggested that Osaka was not the primary choice for a secondary capital candidate to serve as a backup for Tokyo. He said the focus is on “establishing a backup system in case of large-scale disasters and creating a multipolar decentralized economic zone.”