jcpin

JCP in Upper House urges prime minister to change policy to support livelihood

The Japanese Communist Party in the House of Councilors Plenary Session on February 5 called for a policy change to place greater emphasis on supporting ordinary people and small-and medium-sized businesses.

Taking the floor on behalf of the JCP, Secretariat Head Ichida Tadayoshi urged Prime Minister Koizumi Jun'ichiro to declare his refusal to cooperate with the U.S. use of force against Iraq.

As clear evidence of the failure of the Koizumi Cabinet's "structural reform" policy, Ichida gave examples of the highest-ever unemployment rate and a sharp increase in recipients of livelihood assistance and suicides due to economic distress. He said that the national economy can by no means be revitalized when the government is taking away the dynamism from working people, the motive power of the economy, by imposing additional burdens on them.

The prime minister said that the suicides are deplorable, but insisted on carrying on with the structural reform policy.

Ichida raised the issue of suspicions around Prime Minister Koizumi concerning public works projects, and called for a ban on political donations. The prime minister evaded giving a straight answer. (end)