On the balance sheet we have debts and assets

Basing policies on a thick coat of lies and trying to sell this to the people of Japan cannot be accepted by my standpoint.

During the Upper House Elections in 2010 for example, consumption tax was a major issue, but as I have said many times before, the discussion was studded with lies. You are all paying enough taxes as it is; and this tax money should be used in a constructive way to lead Japan towards a better future. But it is obvious that many politicians are telling lies and trying to hide the truth. This is more than unfortunate.

Some of them claim that if we do not want to end up like Greece, we need tax hikes. But is this really true? In my humble opinion, people who talk like this do not have the first idea about economics. Once again, more than unfortunate.

Of course Japan has issued large amounts of government bonds, and government debt including loan payments has passed the 850 trillion yen mark. The government zooms in on this and keeps fear mongering: “This is how much debt we have!” If you limit yourself to this incomplete view of things, it might be a reasonable conclusion to panic about Japan’s continuously rising debt.

But is debt really all there is to it? If you look at a balance sheet, there is an assets column opposite the debt column. The government is not making its assets public. I would like to hear an honest answer to the questions: “What did we create with all the borrowed money? And what kind of assets do we have right now?” At the moment, the government is hiding the assets column from us, telling us “This country is up to its neck in debt. Therefore, we need to raise taxes.” As I said, I believe this a lie.

Trust me, a politician who tells you “There is nothing but debt, I swear!” has probably used 300 billion yen to build 70% of a dam, then cancelled the project. The 300 billion turned out to be a complete waste. Or it will be somebody who closed down an airport after it had already been opened. These are the kind of people who are wasting citizens’ tax money. They are not being honest about things, and I refuse to stand by and let them get away with it.