I, Hiroshi Nohara, the star of Japanese cinema

Chapter 263 The Election Debate on the Streets! The Final Battle Is Imminent!
With election day drawing ever closer, the entire city of Tokyo seems to be enveloped in a campaign frenzy.

The subway station lightbox advertisements, bus body spray paintings, community bulletin board posters, and even the roll-up banners in front of convenience stores were almost entirely occupied by the campaign propaganda of Yoshihiro Shimazu and Mikami Tanaka.

On the streets of Shinjuku in the early morning, office workers hurried to work, but their conversations were filled with topics about the election. A few people gathered in front of a convenience store to buy breakfast, and their discussion gradually became more heated.

"I think Mr. Yoshihiro Shimazu is really great!" Kenichi Takahashi, an office worker in a suit, took a bite of his rice ball and said earnestly, "His proposals for 'cultural development' and 'youth employment support' really resonated with me. My son just graduated from university this year and has been looking for a job for three months without success. Mr. Shimazu said he would provide subsidies to small and medium-sized enterprises to encourage them to hire recent graduates. If this can be realized, my son will have hope!"

The old man selling newspapers next to him, Shigeru Yamamoto, shook his head and retorted, "Takahashi-kun, you're still too young! What's the most profitable thing 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 30%. If it were Mr. Shimazu instead, with his economic transformation, what if housing prices drop? It's not easy for us ordinary people to save money, we can't take that risk."

“Uncle Yamamoto, you’re wrong about that!” Sato Ryoko, a housewife who had just bought milk, interjected. “No matter how high housing prices go, they can’t put food on the table! My husband works for a real estate company, and he’s recently started taking a pay cut because the projects aren’t selling. Besides, which young person can afford a house these days? My nephew works in Tokyo and only earns 200,000 yen a month. Half of that goes to rent, and the rest is barely enough to make ends meet. How can he afford to date or get married? Mr. Shimazu says he wants to control housing prices and increase affordable housing. That’s what he’s doing for ordinary people like us!”

Kenichi Takahashi nodded quickly: "Mrs. Sato is right! The current real estate market is too distorted. A house costs a lifetime's savings, and young people can't see a future at all. Mr. Shimazu's policies are aimed at getting the economy back on track, not propping it up by a real estate bubble. Besides, how much has his documentary 'A Bite of Japan' boosted the local economy? Reviving old crafts and making farmers money—that's a real achievement!"

Shigeru Yamamoto looked a little grim and said defiantly, "But real estate appreciation is something you can see and feel! If my apartment appreciates a little more, I won't have to worry about my retirement. Mr. Shimazu's policy sounds good, but who knows if it can be implemented? Mr. Tanaka has been mayor for so many years and has a lot of experience. Following him is definitely the right thing to do."

"Experienced?" Suzuki Keisuke, a college student carrying a backpack, couldn't help but interject, "Uncle Yamamoto, haven't you heard? Many real estate companies are laying off employees lately, and the real estate sector in the stock market has been falling. My economics professor said that the current real estate bubble will burst sooner or later, and when prices drop, your savings might be gone. Mr. Shimazu's economic transformation is to prepare in advance, otherwise everyone will suffer!"

Shigeru Yamamoto paused, opened his mouth as if to say something, but Kenichi Takahashi interrupted him, saying, "Suzuki-kun is right! The reason it's so hard to find a job now is because everyone is investing their money in real estate, and no one is taking care of the real economy. Mr. Shimazu wants to develop cultural industries, traditional crafts, and technological innovation. How many jobs can these fields create? When young people have jobs and income, they can afford to buy houses and support their families, and only then can the economy truly improve."

Sato Yoshiko chimed in, "Moreover, Mr. Shimazu is concerned about people's livelihoods. He said that we should increase investment in elderly care and medical care, and optimize educational resources. These are things that we ordinary people care about most. What has Mr. Tanaka said besides real estate? Every time he gives a speech, he talks about how many high-rise buildings to build and how many highways to construct, without caring about our actual difficulties at all."

The street discussions continued, and similar scenes were playing out in various corners of Tokyo.

Some support Yoshihiro Shimazu's policies on improving people's livelihoods, while others cling to the real estate profits of Mikami Tanaka. These differing stances spark heated debates, but they also reflect the confusion and expectations of ordinary people regarding the future.

These discussions, through voter feedback and public opinion monitoring, continuously reached the election command center of TV Tokyo.

……

The atmosphere in the election command center of TV Tokyo was somewhat tense.

The large screen displayed real-time street interviews, social media sentiment, and the latest poll data. Although Yoshihiro Shimazu's approval rating was still slowly rising, the gap between him and Mikami Tanaka remained at only two percentage points.

Nobuhiko Sakata, Toshihide Takada, Asumi, and other high-ranking officials from TV Tokyo sat around the conference table, their faces filled with worry.

Looking at the street discussion clips on the big screen, Yoshihiro Shimazu sighed heavily: "As expected, real estate is still everyone's hard currency. Even though everyone feels the difficulty of finding employment and the pressure of life, as long as housing prices continue to rise, no one is willing to give up this 'invisible wealth'."

Takada Toshihide nodded, his tone heavy: "You can't blame everyone for this. Japan's economy has been propped up by real estate in recent years. Ordinary people work hard all their lives, hoping that a house will appreciate in value and provide for their retirement. Tanaka Mikami has grasped this mentality, which is why he has been able to maintain a high approval rating."

Asumi picked up a real estate data report, his brow furrowed: "The average house price in Tokyo has now exceeded 800,000 yen per square meter, which is three times that of ten years ago. Many families have invested all their savings in real estate, and even taken on huge mortgages. They simply cannot afford to lose. Even if they know that the real estate market is risky, they can only grit their teeth and believe that prices will continue to rise."

Nobuhiko Sakata took a sip of tea and added, "More importantly, real estate has become a universally recognized investment tool. Bank deposit interest rates are too low, and the stock market is unstable. Only real estate is seen as a 'sure-fire way to make money.' This concept is deeply ingrained and cannot be changed by a few words of propaganda from us."

“But this abnormal prosperity can’t last long.” Eiji Kurosawa sat in the corner, his tone serious. “I have a friend who works at a real estate company. He said that many projects are just going through the motions. Houses can’t be sold, but they’re still being built. The bad debt rate of mortgages at banks is getting higher and higher, but it’s just being covered up.”

Kita Asano echoed, "When I was making heartwarming films, I interviewed many young people, and they all said that they could never afford to buy a house in their lifetime and could only rent capsule apartments. Some people only eat two meals a day to save money and dare not even have social interactions. If this situation continues, social conflicts will only become more and more intense."

Yoshihiro Shimazu rubbed his temples, his eyes filled with exhaustion and helplessness: "Of course I know about these problems. But everyone understands the logic, it's too difficult to get them to give up the benefits that real estate brings. Just like Hiroshi said, the real estate market has reached a critical point, but everyone is still clinging to wishful thinking, believing that they won't be the unlucky ones."

He turned to Hiroshi Nohara, who had remained silent, and said with a hint of pleading in his voice, "Hiroshi-kun, we're going on TV tomorrow for a televised debate. This is the most important campaign event before the election. Tanaka Mikami will definitely be touting the benefits of real estate and attacking our economic transformation policies. I'm really worried. What do you think we should do?"

Everyone in the conference room looked at Hiroshi Nohara, their eyes filled with anticipation. Everyone knew that Hiroshi Nohara not only had precise publicity strategies, but also a knack for understanding people's pain points; perhaps he could find a way to break the deadlock.

Takada Toshihide sighed and added, "What's more troublesome is that this televised debate is being held at Tokyo TV, which is Tanaka Mikami's territory. They'll definitely tamper with the equipment, lighting, and even the question-and-answer session to embarrass us."

Asumi frowned: "Takahashi Kazuo of Tokyo TV is originally a follower of Tanaka Mikami. Last time we wanted to air a promotional video on their station, but they refused with various excuses. I'm afraid we'll encounter a lot of difficulties if we go to participate in the debate this time."

Despite everyone's concerns, Hiroshi Nohara suddenly laughed, his tone still calm: "Don't worry too much. The core of a televised debate is not the venue or the equipment, but whether the ideas we convey can move the voters. We don't need to argue with Tanaka Mikami about the merits of the real estate market; we should just stick to what we agreed on before and firmly grasp the word 'people's livelihood'."

He picked up a list of pressing issues affecting people's livelihoods and slowly said, "Think about it, what do voters care about most? It's employment, income, education, healthcare, and retirement. Tanaka Mikami's policies can only satisfy the needs of a few people who want to make money through real estate, but they can't solve these most fundamental problems. What we need to do is put these issues on the table and tell everyone that true prosperity is not about inflated housing prices, but about everyone having stable jobs, a decent life, and a bright future."

Hiroshi Nohara paused for a moment, then continued, “During tomorrow’s debate, former Shimazu president can provide more concrete examples. For instance, when discussing employment, he could mention how much entrepreneurial work 'A Bite of Japan' has spurred and how many local tourism revenues have increased; when discussing education, he could mention increasing investment in traditional culture education in primary and secondary schools so that children can understand their roots; and when discussing elderly care, he could mention optimizing community-based elderly care services so that seniors can enjoy their later years in peace. These concrete promises are far more impactful than empty slogans about ‘real estate appreciation.’”

He looked at Yoshihiro Shimazu with a firm gaze: "Former President Shimazu, you must remember that people's livelihoods, jobs, and future sustainable development are more important than the current short-term real estate boom. You must tell everyone that we are not trying to deny the real estate market, but rather to diversify the economy, so that people have more investment options and more opportunities to realize their self-worth in addition to buying a house."

"But will everyone really listen?" Yoshihiro Shimazu was still somewhat hesitant. "Housing prices are still rising, and everyone is blinded by immediate gains."

“Yes, it will,” Hiroshi Nohara replied confidently. “The current real estate market is so distorted that even ordinary people can feel it. Young people can’t find jobs, middle-aged people are burdened with huge mortgages, and the elderly are worried about retirement. Everyone knows that this kind of life can’t continue. What you need to do is to enlighten them and give them a better expectation for the future.”

He picked up the latest poll report:

"Look, the polls show that 62% of voters believe that 'difficulty in finding employment' is the biggest problem at present, and 58% of voters believe that 'excessive housing prices' affect their quality of life. This shows that people have realized the seriousness of the problem, but they lack a leader who dares to make changes. As long as you firmly state your policy proposals and make people believe that you can lead them out of their predicament, they will choose you."

Looking at Hiroshi Nohara's confident expression, Nobuhiko Sakata's worries gradually dissipated: "Hiroshi-kun is right! We cannot be intimidated by the difficulties before us. We must firmly believe that the policy of prioritizing people's livelihood is correct. During tomorrow's debate, we will monitor public opinion backstage. If Tanaka Mikami makes any inappropriate remarks, we will immediately speak out through social media to guide public opinion."

Toshihide Takada nodded and said, "I've already spoken with the technical department at TV Tokyo, and they'll send their most professional team to the site tomorrow to ensure our images and sound are transmitted normally. Even if TV Tokyo tries anything funny, we can respond promptly."

Asahi added, "I also contacted some media reporters who support us and asked them to publish positive reports immediately after the debate to amplify our policy advantages. At the same time, our 'information cocoon' strategy will continue to be effective, accurately pushing the highlights of the debate to our target voters."

Looking at everyone's determined eyes and recalling Hiroshi Nohara's words, Yoshihiro Shimazu gradually felt more confident.

He took a deep breath and stood up: "Alright! Let's do as Hiroshi says! In tomorrow's debate, I will definitely uphold the principle of 'people's livelihood first' and let the voters of Tokyo know that I, Yoshihiro Shimazu, sincerely want to do things for everyone and sincerely want to give Tokyo a better future!"

Hiroshi Nohara watched Yoshihiro Shimazu's resolute back as he thought to himself.

The bursting of the real estate bubble is imminent. This election is not only a contest between Yoshihiro Shimazu and Mikami Tanaka, but also a game between two economic development models.

He believes that as long as he stays true to his original aspiration of prioritizing people's livelihood, he will surely win the support of voters.

All he could do was silently support Yoshihiro Shimazu from behind the scenes, helping him win this crucial battle and make full preparations for the impending economic crisis.

As night deepened, the election command center of TV Tokyo remained brightly lit.

Everyone is making final preparations for tomorrow's debate. Everyone's face is tired, yet full of firm belief.

They knew that this debate was about the success or failure of the election, the future of Tokyo, and the lives of countless ordinary people.

They stand at the crossroads of history, awaiting the impending decisive battle.

(End of this chapter)