Even when the people raise their voices this much, it doesn't reach anyone. It's painful, life is tough, we want things to change. Despite all these voices overflowing, I wonder what the politicians are even looking at. The judiciary, which is supposed to keep an eye on the government. The media, which is supposed to convey the facts to the people. I can't help but question whether either of them is functioning properly. Even within the LDP, aren't there any politicians stepping up to say, "Hasn't this gone too far?" 

Prime Minister Takaichi is considering appointing lawmakers involved in the slush fund scandal, like those from the former Abe faction. And the reason for that is, "They've already faced the public's judgment through two elections."Does going through two elections just wipe away the responsibility for creating slush funds? Whose money do members of parliament work with? It's the taxpayers' money, duh.That's exactly why they need to be more accountable than ordinary people, right? Getting elected and wrapping up the responsibility for unreported political funds are two different things. 

Industry groups flush with subsidies return a portion of it to politicians as political contributions, and the politicians, in turn, keep the subsidies flowing in Japan. A splendid cycle, isn't it? Tax money morphs into politicians' campaign funds, and those same politicians decide how the next round of tax money gets spent. They call this "democracy." The public plays the role of providing the raw funds, without any say in the decision-making. What a well-crafted system.

Poverty is becoming more widespread and severe. Especially now, with high prices, more and more people—such as women and young office workers—who have a place to live but are finding life increasingly difficult are on the rise. Young Japanese people cannot afford housing, childcare or stable employment. This is a policy failure, not a personal one. If the government doesn't take some kind of action, it could become a cause of social unrest. The image shows young people and women queuing to receive free lunches.