Does the Liberal Democratic Party want to wage a tariff war with the United States? Shinjiro (Liberal Democratic Party), the son of former Prime Minister Koizumi and a Japan politician, said the consumption tax should be at least 10% or more. Japan’s consumption tax has been strongly criticized by the United States as a non-tariff barrier
Does the Liberal Democratic Party want to wage a tariff war with the United States? Shinjiro (Liberal Democratic Party), the son of former Prime Minister Koizumi and a Japan politician, said the consumption tax should be at least 10% or more. Japan’s consumption tax has been strongly criticized by the United States as a non-tariff barrier
小泉進次郎氏「大変申し訳ないけど消費税上げさせてください。11％以降の消費増税がこんなにワクワクする世界ないと思いますね。じゃあ11％以降の消費増税はいつ実現出来るんですか？今ですよね？トップダウンでボトムアップなんですよ。説得力あるでしょ？」https://t.co/uY8Ol7n5FH via 裕子…
Below is a summary of the online criticism on X about Shinjiro Koizumi’s alleged statement that “I’m excited about raising the consumption tax to 11% or more.” This statement became a hot topic, mainly in posts that spread on X around May 5, 2025 (such as @newssharing1), and has caused strong backlash. However, the veracity and context of the statement have not been clearly supported by the web search results provided or official reports, so the possibility of it being fake or misunderstood must be considered. With that in mind, we will summarize the reactions on X.
Main criticism on X
Anger and distrust towards the statement
Many users criticized the statement “I’m excited about a 15% consumption tax” as “an insensitive statement that ignores the lives of the people.” For example, there were many voices pointing out the discrepancy with the financial sense of ordinary people, such as “Shinjiro Koizumi: ‘I’m excited about a 15% consumption tax’ makes me laugh,” and “He can just say a 15% consumption tax so easily” ().
Some users described Koizumi as a “money-making tax” and “fraud” and did not believe the government’s explanation that the consumption tax is used for social security ().
Criticism of hereditary politicians
Koizumi’s background as a hereditary politician was the target of criticism. There were many posts linking his criticism to dissatisfaction with hereditary politicians in general, such as “hereditary politicians are incompetent,” “we don’t need hereditary politicians,” and “like parents, like children” ().
Some users emphasized the discrepancy in their perceptions as members of the privileged class, saying, “there’s no way a stupid hereditary rich person could understand the financial sense of ordinary people” ().
Questions about the logic of his statements
The statements themselves were described as “not valid” and “false,” and were criticized for their unclear content and lack of persuasiveness. Some users questioned Koizumi’s communication skills, saying, “I don’t know what he’s trying to convey” and “There’s nothing substantial to what he’s saying” ().
Phrases such as “top-down, bottom-up” and “convincing, right?” were particularly ridiculed, with users mocking him and asking, “What are you talking about!?” (). Voices calling for the end of his political career
There were many posts calling for his downfall as a politician in strong terms, such as “I want to crush him thoroughly so he can never rise again” and “There is no time to waste in Shinjiro Koizumi’s political career” ().
There were also responses that could lead to his defeat in the election and distrust of the LDP as a whole, such as “Let’s defeat everyone in the LDP,” “Kanagawa 11th district,” and “I will not vote for the LDP” ().
Doubts about the authenticity of the statement
Some users questioned the authenticity of the statement, saying, “I thought it was an AI fake video, but is it real?”, while others responded that they would not tolerate it if it was real (). This reflects the current situation in which the statement has not been officially confirmed.
Issues about the background and context
Authenticity of the statement: According to a post on X ( @newssharing1 , 2025/5/5), Koizumi is said to have said, “I’m very sorry, but please let me raise the consumption tax. I don’t think there is a world in which a consumption tax increase beyond 11% is so exciting.” However, no direct record of this statement was found in the web search results provided (~) or in official reports, which contradicts the record of Koizumi denying that “my administration will not consider raising the consumption tax” in an interview during the September 2024 presidential election (). Therefore, it is possible that the statement was fabricated, exaggerated, or taken out of context. Relationship to past statements: In 2017, Koizumi argued that “the way consumption tax is collected should be changed,” criticizing the reduced tax rate for newspapers (), and has been attracting attention in discussions on consumption tax. On the other hand, when proposing “child insurance,” he said, “Don’t run away to consumption tax,” and also showed a cautious attitude toward relying on consumption tax to secure financial resources (). It is possible that these were the source of misunderstandings and exaggerations. Amplification of online reactions: In X, the expression “exciting” particularly evoked an emotional backlash, and the criticism accelerated as a phrase that is easily spread in short posts. There was a tendency for emotional reactions to spread without checking the veracity of the statement. Summary The criticism on X can be summarized as anger at Koizumi’s supposed statement that “I’m excited about a consumption tax of 11% or more,” distrust of hereditary politicians, the lack of logic in the statement, and the denial of political life. In particular, the light expression “excited” strongly stimulated public sentiment when contrasted with the reality of high prices and hardships in life. However, since the truth and context of the statement are unclear, some of the criticism may be based on misunderstandings and exaggerations. It is also important to note that Koizumi’s past statements related to the consumption tax (such as criticism of the reduced tax rate and “Don’t run away to the consumption tax”) have amplified the reaction this time.
