TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The recent spate of earthquakes in Taiwan should be a reminder to shift focus in the upcoming local elections toward public safety, one Japanese journalist believes.

Yaita Akio, the director of Sankei Shimbun’s Taipei branch who has called Taiwan home for over two years, lamented in a Facebook post on Sunday (Sept. 18) that election campaigns have been marred by bickering and squabbling over personal matters without real debates on what really matters.

The comment came after a magnitude 6.8 quake rattled eastern Taiwan, sending shockwaves all over the country that saw buildings collapse and roads buckle. The quake was the largest to have hit Taiwan this year, as experts warn of intense seismic activity to come.

Yaita observed that many Taiwanese people complain about houses being too costly, too small, and too old. While the prices and property size may be driven by the market, the government is much to blame for failing to renew old apartments in poor condition, he said.

According to him, the Japanese parliament amends building codes constantly and imposes tighter anti-quake standards. In Tokyo, houses over 40 years old are rare, but they are common throughout Taiwan and especially in Taipei, while also being a safety concern.

Property owners lack the incentives to have their buildings rebuilt because new ones mean smaller space due to existing regulations, and this should be addressed by the government, Yaita urged. The issue is compelling as Taiwan lies in a tectonically-active region, as is Japan, he added.

However, campaigns for the upcoming local elections have been overshadowed by disputes from thesis plagiarism to one’s blood lineage, the commentator criticized. He called for efforts to steer the elections back to policy debates, while making people’s lives better and safer should also take center stage.