novelraw Chapter 263: Heated Election Discussions in the Streets! The Impending Decisive Battle!
Chapter 263: Heated Election Discussions in the Streets! The Impending Decisive Battle!
As Election Day grew closer and closer, the entirety of Tokyo City seemed enveloped by a campaign fervor.
Light box advertisements in subway stations, spray paintings on the bodies of buses, posters on community notice boards, and even roll-up banners at the entrances of convenience stores were almost entirely occupied by the campaign promotions of Shimazu Yoshihiro and Tanaka Mikami.
In the early morning on the streets of Shinjuku, office workers hurried on their way, yet they couldn't help but talk about the election. Several people buying breakfast gathered at the entrance of a convenience store, their discussion gradually becoming heated.
"I think Mr. Shimazu Yoshihiro isn't bad!" Takahashi Kenichi, an office worker in a suit, took a bite of his rice ball, his tone earnest. "The 'Cultural Rejuvenation of the City' and 'Youth Employment Support' he proposed really spoke to my heart. My son just graduated from university this year and hasn't been able to find a job for three months. Mr. Shimazu said he would provide subsidies to small and medium enterprises to encourage them to hire fresh graduates. If this can be realized, my son will have hope!"
Uncle Yamamoto Shigeru, who was selling newspapers nearby, shook his head and retorted: "Takahashi-kun, you're still too young! What makes the most money right now? Real estate, of course! Mr. Tanaka Mikami has always supported real estate development. The apartment I bought last year has already appreciated by thirty percent. If we change to Mr. Shimazu and he engages in some economic transformation, what if housing prices fall? It's not easy for us ordinary people to save up some money, we can't take this risk."
"Uncle Yamamoto, what you're saying is wrong!" Sato Ryoko, a housewife who had just finished buying milk, chimed in. "No matter how much housing prices rise, you can't eat them! My husband works at a real estate company, and his salary has already started to be cut recently, saying that projects aren't selling. Moreover, which young person nowadays can afford to buy a house? My nephew works in Tokyo, and his monthly salary is only two hundred thousand yen, but rent alone takes up half of it. The remaining money is only enough to barely scrape by. Where is there any money left for dating and getting married? Mr. Shimazu said he wants to control housing prices and increase affordable housing. This is what truly considers us ordinary people!"
Takahashi Kenichi quickly nodded: "Mrs. Sato is right! The current real estate market is too deformed. Buying a house costs a lifetime of savings;
young people simply cannot see a future. Mr. Shimazu's policy aims to bring the economy back on track, rather than propping it up with a real estate bubble. Furthermore, how much local economy has his documentary 'A Bite of Neon' driven? Making old crafts resurrect and allowing farmers to earn money, these are tangible achievements!"
Yamamoto Shigeru's face looked a bit unpleased, and he said unconvinced: "But real estate appreciation is visible and tangible! If my apartment goes up a bit more, I won't have to worry about my retirement. Mr. Shimazu's policies sound good, but who knows if they can be realized? Mr. Tanaka has been Mayor for so many years and is highly experienced. Following him is definitely right."
"Highly experienced?" Suzuki Keisuke, a university student passing by with a backpack, couldn't help but interject. "Uncle Yamamoto, haven't you heard? Many real estate companies have been laying off employees recently, and the real estate sector in the stock market has also been continuously falling. My economics teacher said that the current real estate bubble will burst sooner or later. When housing prices plummet then, your savings might just go down the drain. Mr. Shimazu's economic transformation is precisely aiming to completely prepare in advance, otherwise everyone will be out of luck when the time comes!"
Yamamoto Shigeru was stunned. He opened his mouth to say something, but was preempted by Takahashi Kenichi: "Suzuki-kun has a point! The reason it's so hard to find a job now is because everyone is investing their money in real estate, leaving the real economy unattended. Mr. Shimazu wants to develop cultural industries, traditional handcrafts, and technological innovation. How many jobs can these fields create? Only when young people have jobs and income then can they afford to buy houses and support families, making the economy truly improve."Sato Ryoko also agreed: "Moreover, Mr. Shimazu focuses on people's livelihood. He said he wants to increase investment in elderly care and healthcare, and optimize educational resources. These are what us ordinary people care about the most. Aside from real estate, what else has Mr. Tanaka ever talked about? Every time he gives a speech, he just talks about how many tall buildings he wants to build and how many highways he wants to construct, completely ignoring our practical difficulties."
The discussion on the street continued, and similar scenes played out in every corner of Tokyo City.
Some supported Shimazu Yoshihiro's people's livelihood policies, while others clung to Tanaka Mikami's real estate dividends. The clashing of different standpoints struck fierce sparks, yet it also reflected the ordinary citizens' confusion and expectations regarding the future.
These voices of discussion, through voter feedback and public opinion monitoring, continuously transmitted to TV Tokyo's election command center.
...
Inside TV Tokyo's election command center, the atmosphere was somewhat solemn.
The large screen scrolled real-time street interviews, social media public opinion, and the latest polling data. Although Shimazu Yoshihiro's approval rating was still slowly rising, the gap with Tanaka Mikami remained at two percentage points.
Sakata Nobuhiko, Takada Toshihide, Asumi, and other TV Tokyo executives sat around the conference table, all with worried expressions on their faces.
Shimazu Yoshihiro watched the clips of street discussions on the big screen and sighed heavily: "As expected, real estate is still the hard currency in everyone's hearts. Even though everyone feels the difficulty of finding employment and the high pressure of living, as long as housing prices are still rising, no one is willing to give up this 'invisible wealth'."
Takada Toshihide nodded, his tone heavy: "We can't blame everyone for this. The Japanese economy has entirely relied on real estate to prop it up these past few years. Ordinary people work hard their whole lives, just hoping their house will appreciate so they can have a guarantee for retirement. Tanaka Mikami exactly grasped this psychology of everyone to continuously maintain his high approval rating."
Asumi picked up a real estate data report and frowned deeply: "Currently, the average housing price in Tokyo City has broken through eight hundred thousand yen per square meter, three times what it was ten years ago. Many families have put all their savings into real estate, and have even taken on high mortgages. They fundamentally cannot afford to lose. Even if they know there are risks in the real estate market, they can only brace themselves and believe it will keep rising."
Sakata Nobuhiko took a sip of tea and added: "More crucially, real estate has become a universally recognized wealth management tool. Bank deposit rates are too low, and the stock market is unstable. In everyone's eyes, only real estate is a 'guaranteed profit without loss'. This ingrained notion cannot be changed with just a few sentences of promotion from us."
"But this deformed prosperity absolutely cannot be maintained for long." Kurosawa Eiji sat in the corner, his tone solemn. "I have a friend who works in a real estate company. He said many projects are just idling now;
houses can't be sold, yet they are still constantly being built. The bad debt rate of bank mortgages is getting higher and higher;
it's just being covered up."
Asano Takata also chimed in: "When I shoot heartwarming films, I interview many young people. They all say they won't be able to afford a house in their entire lives and can only rent and live in capsule hotels. To save money, some people only eat two meals a day and don't even dare to socialize. If this situation continues, social contradictions will only become increasingly intense."
Shimazu Yoshihiro rubbed the space between his brows, his eyes full of exhaustion and helplessness: "Of course I know about these problems. But everyone understands the reasoning;
it's just too difficult to actually force them to give up the benefits brought by real estate. Just as Hiroshi-kun said, the real estate market has reached a critical point, but everyone is still holding onto a fluke mentality, feeling that they won't be that unlucky one."
He turned his head to look at Nohara Hiroshi, who had been silent, his tone carrying a trace of pleading: "Hiroshi-kun, tomorrow is the televised debate on Tokyo City TV. This is the most important promotion before the election. When the time comes, Tanaka Mikami will definitely vigorously promote the advantages of real estate and attack our economic transformation policy. I really feel unsure in my heart. Tell me, what should we do?"
Everyone in the meeting room looked at Nohara Hiroshi, their eyes pregnant with anticipation.
Everyone knew that Nohara Hiroshi not only possessed precise promotional strategies but was also even better at grasping the pain points in people's hearts. Perhaps he could find a way to break the deadlock.
Takada Toshihide sighed and added: "What's more troublesome is that the venue for this televised debate is at Tokyo City TV, which is Tanaka Mikami's turf. They will definitely play tricks on the equipment, lighting, and even the unquestioning segment, wanting to make us look bad."
Asumi also frowned: "Takahashi Kazuo of Tokyo City TV was originally Tanaka Mikami's man. Last time we wanted to broadcast our short promotional video on their station, they rejected us using various reasons. Going to participate in the debate this time, I'm afraid we will encounter many difficulties."
Facing everyone's worries, Nohara Hiroshi suddenly laughed, his tone remaining steady: "Everyone doesn't need to worry too much. The core of a televised debate is not the venue or the equipment, but whether the philosophy we convey can move the voters. We don't need to argue with Tanaka Mikami about the pros and cons of real estate. We just need to follow what was agreed upon before and firmly grasp the term 'people's livelihood'."
He picked up a list of livelihood pain points and said slowly: "Everyone, think about it: what do voters care about the most? It's employment, income, education, healthcare, and elderly care. Tanaka Mikami's policies can only satisfy a minority's need to make money through real estate but cannot resolve these most fundamental problems. What we need to do is put these problems on the table and tell everyone that true prosperity is not artificially high housing prices, but everyone having an invariably stable job, a decent life, and a bright future."
Nohara Hiroshi paused for a moment and continued: "During the debate tomorrow, Former President Shimazu can give more practical examples. For instance, when mentioning employment, talk about how many craftsmen's businesses and how much local tourism revenue 'A Bite of Neon' has driven;
when mentioning education, state that we will increase investment in traditional cultural education in primary and secondary schools so children can understand their roots;
when mentioning elderly care, state that we will optimize community elderly care services so the elderly can enjoy their twilight years in peace. These tangible promises can move people's hearts much better than emptily shouting slogans about 'real estate appreciation'."
He looked at Shimazu Yoshihiro, his eyes resolute: "Former President Shimazu, you must remember that people's livelihood, jobs, and future sustainable development are more important than the current brief real estate dividends. You need to tell everyone that we are not trying to negate real estate, but to return the economy to diversification, allowing everyone to have more wealth management choices and more opportunities to realize their self-worth besides buying a house."
"But, can everyone really listen?" Shimazu Yoshihiro was still somewhat hesitant. "Right now housing prices are still rising, and everyone's eyes have been blinded by immediate interests."
"They will," Nohara Hiroshi answered affirmatively. "The current real estate market has become deformed to the point where even ordinary people can feel it. Young people can't find jobs, middle-aged people bear high mortgages, and elderly people worry about their retirement. Everyone clearly knows in their hearts that this kind of life cannot continue any longer. What you need to do is wake them up and give them a more beautiful future expectation."
He picked up the latest polling report:
"Look, the polls show that 62% of voters believe 'difficulty in employment' is the biggest current problem, and 58% believe 'excessively high housing prices' have affected their quality of life. This indicates that everyone has already realized the severity of the problem;
they are just missing a leader who dares to make a change. As long as you firmly state your policy propositions and make everyone believe you can lead them out of this predicament, they will choose you."
Looking at Nohara Hiroshi's certain appearance, the worries in Sakata Nobuhiko's heart gradually dissipated: "Hiroshi-kun is right! We cannot be frightened by immediate difficulties, and we must firmly believe that policies based on people's livelihood are correct. During the debate tomorrow, we will do a good job of public opinion monitoring backstage. Once Tanaka Mikami has inappropriate remarks, we will immediately speak up through social media to guide public opinion."
Takada Toshihide also nodded: "I've already greeted the technical department of TV Tokyo. Tomorrow, we will send the most professional team to the site to ensure our visuals and audio can be transmitted normally. Even if Tokyo City TV tries to pull petty tricks, we can respond promptly."
Asumi added: "I also contacted some media reporters who support us, having them publish positive reports immediately after the debate ends to amplify our policy advantages. At the same time, our 'Information Cocoon' strategy will continue to exert effort, precisely pushing the brilliant segments from the debate to target voters."
Looking at everyone's firm eyes and recalling Nohara Hiroshi's words, the confidence in Shimazu Yoshihiro's heart gradually strengthened.
He took a deep breath and stood up: "Good! Let's do as Hiroshi-kun said! During tomorrow's debate, I will definitely uphold the philosophy of 'people's livelihood as the foundation,' letting the voters of Tokyo City know that I, Shimazu Yoshihiro, genuinely want to do things for everyone and genuinely want to give Tokyo City a more beautiful future!"
Nohara Hiroshi looked at Shimazu Yoshihiro's resolute back and thought secretly in his heart.
The bursting of the real estate bubble was right before their eyes. This election was not only a contest between Shimazu Yoshihiro and Tanaka Mikami but also a game between two economic development models.
He believed that as long as they upheld the original intention of making people's livelihood the foundation, they would definitely be able to win the support of the voters.
And what he could do was silently support Shimazu Yoshihiro from behind, helping him win this crucial battle and making full preparations for the impending economic crisis.
The night grew deeper, yet TV Tokyo's election command center remained brightly lit.
Everyone was making final preparations for tomorrow's debate. Everyone's faces carried exhaustion, yet they were full of firm conviction.
They knew that this debate concerned the success or failure of the election, concerned the future of Tokyo City, and even more so concerned the lives of countless ordinary people.
And they were currently standing at the crossroads of history, awaiting the impending decisive battle.
(Chapter Ends)