JCP chair campaigns for anti-dam ex-Nagano governor to come back

Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo spoke to Nagano voters on August 4 in Ueda City, Nagano Prefecture, to help boost support for 'anti-dam" ex-governor Tanaka Yasuo in the September 1st gubernatorial election and for JCP candidates in the by-election for the prefectural assembly.

An audience of 2,200 braved the stormy weather to listen to Shii speak in front of Ueda Station on August 4.

Shii said the gubernatorial election is drawing national attention because what a municipal government and its public works projects should be is what the election is all about. He said that the prefectural people must judge whether the majority force in the prefectural assembly had been right or wrong in rejecting Tanaka, who was just living up to his election promise to move away from constructing many wasteful dams as public works projects.

Pointing out that only the five JCP assembly members voted against the non-confidence motion in Tanaka, Shii said that if JCP seats increase to over six after the by-election, the JCP will get the right to submit bills and to question on behalf of the party, which will greatly contribute to advancing the anti-dam policy.

The JCP chair said that the majority force in the prefectural assembly insists on constructing dams because there is a network of vested interests made up of politicians, bureaucrats, and general contractor construction companies that want to benefit from public works projects.

Only when wasteful expenditure on building dams is ended will local government be able to defend the well-being and living conditions of the people, Shii added. (end)