The LDP presidential election has been decided. Contrary to that many peple expected, Sanae Takaichi emerged victorious. Although she gained about 40% of the general party members’ votes, her support among Diet members was only around 20% (64 votes), so I thought the runoff would be difficult for her. However, in the Diet members’ votes in the runoff, she secured 149 votes, surpassing Mr. Koizumi, who received 145. Even television commentators expressed surprise, but put simply, out of the 150 Diet member votes that went to Hayashi, Kobayashi, and Motegi in the first round, 85 shifted to Takaichi in the runoff. If things proceed smoothly, she will become Japan’s first female prime minister.
In her victory speech, what left an impression on me was her remark: “Forget about work-life balance—work, work, work...” Clearly, this goes against the trend of work-style reform. Yet, since I had always felt uneasy about reforms that discourage people who want to work more, stripping away their sense of purpose, her words resonated with me. Rather than “work-style reform,” I hope she will pursue “work-fulfillment reform.”
And here, I would like to share a photograph. I took it on August 23 in Nara Park. The velvet of a deer’s antlers had peeled away, and drops of blood were falling onto the ground. Whether it was self-inflicted or caused by someone else is unclear, but judging from the trail of blood, it likely happened in the middle of the road. I refrained from publishing it during the election, since it might have drawn various criticisms, but the fact remains that there was an injured deer. Since it was right in front of a souvenir shop, I asked the shop staff to contact the park office before I left, and I sincerely hope the deer was safe.
