00:00In the final days before Japan holds a snap election, people on the streets of Tokyo are
00:08still weighing the choice in front of them.
00:14Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae wants a mandate for her coalition, which includes policies
00:19like increased spending and boosting the military.
00:25And her gamble may pay off.
00:26A poll released Sunday shows her coalition getting well over a majority in the lower
00:30house, with the main opposition party set to lose half its seats.
00:35But the campaign's not over until it's over, and people are far from unified in their
00:39views of the Prime Minister.
00:44To lower the cost of living, Takaichi has pledged to cancel a tax on foodstuffs for two years.
00:49But voters think taxes in general are just too high.
00:53I'm not satisfied.
00:56I do feel the government is taking too much in taxes.
00:59The actual pay we take home is so very little, and in Japan, they impose a lot of different
01:04taxes.
01:05I think the consumption tax is the biggest one.
01:08So many taxes are taken that, honestly, it feels like it's putting real pressure on people's
01:13lives.
01:15Others are undecided.
01:16The campaign is less than two weeks long.
01:19It kind of feels like politicians have only just finally started some campaigning, so we
01:25haven't really listened to what they are saying yet.
01:28And even some likely to vote for Takaichi don't share all her policy views.
01:33I do support Prime Minister Takaichi.
01:38However, regarding the consumption tax reduction, well, originally, they should have introduced
01:44something like the reduced tax rate system used in Europe from the very beginning.
01:48Instead, what we ended up with was something halfway done, a so-called reduced tax rate that
01:55doesn't really have much meaning.
01:58But there are signs outside the polls that Takaichi really is popular, and influential
02:02too.
02:07In the small town of Miota, over 100 kilometers from Tokyo, this handbag factory for luxury
02:12leather worker Hamano has a backlog of orders stretching for 9 months.
02:17And it's all because of this viral photo of Takaichi carrying one of their bags.
02:22Hamano has a reputation going back over a century, but the sudden spike in interest in this handbag
02:27was a surprise.
02:28Honestly, we didn't expect it to spread this widely.
02:34But the scene of Prime Minister Takaichi walking bristly looked very striking.
02:38And from there, young people in Japan, as well as people overseas, have become aware of
02:43our bag.
02:44We're very happy about that.
02:46The trend has reached young voters especially.
02:49Polls show her support among under-30s at over 90 percent.
02:53And some just coming a voting age, like her style, as well as her substance.
03:00Well, she's the first female Prime Minister.
03:04So a lot of young people, like myself, are curious about what kind of apparel she uses.
03:10And I saw a lot of posts going viral about it.
03:13So you know, I think it would be nice if I could use the same things as her.
03:18So I was curious about it and looked it up.
03:21Takaichi has said she either wins her majority or resigns.
03:26It's up to Japan's voters.
03:27But people outside the country are watching closely, too.
03:31U.S. President Donald Trump has given her a strong endorsement, saying she deserves,
03:35quote, powerful recognition for her work so far.
03:39And in Taiwan, there's a particular interest in which way the vote goes.
03:43Because Takaichi has made her concern about China's threats to invade Taiwan explicit.
03:48In November, she even said Japan's military might have to respond to a Chinese attack on
03:53Taiwan, bringing fury from Beijing.
03:56Experts say not everyone may support that view, but an about-face is unlikely.
04:01So in general, it's not as if there are a whole lot of people, even on the conservative
04:06side, who are sort of endorsing Takaichi and really hoping that she will continue this
04:11track.
04:12However, she has gained in stature as a tough woman, as an iron lady of modern Japan.
04:21And therefore, I think it's very unlikely that she'll back down from it during the campaign.
04:26The vote is Sunday.
04:31The question now is whether Takaichi's popularity translates into the votes she needs to remain
04:35in Japan's Iron Lady.
04:36Lee Sin Chen and John Van Trieste for Taiwan Plus.
04:40want to see.
04:41I'm the second off, right?
04:42whoa.
04:43Yeah.
04:44box-spirited.
04:45ah
04:45Yeah.
04:46go off
04:47USA
04:49pairs
04:49are
04:50b
04:51ha
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