Japan party leaders clash over reform, economy in election debate

Japan's party leaders clashed on issues including political reform, the economy and national security during a seven-way debate Saturday held ahead of the lower house election later this month.Newly installed Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party repeated his pledge to "renew" the country's economy and disaster resilience, stopping short of giving details on planned economic measures.Amid rising prices, some opposition parties have argued for a reduction in or the abolition of the sales tax, but Ishiba pushed back by saying it is an important source of reven…READ FULL ARTICLE