Diet begins discussing major adverse revision of pension system

Discussion began in the House of Representatives plenary session on April 1 on a government bill to increase premiums affecting 70 million people in the public pension program and cut benefits for 30 million pensioners.

The bill, if enacted, will enable the government to implement adverse changes every year without parliamentary discussion.

Speaking at the House of Representatives plenary session on the same day, Japanese Communist Party representative Yamaguchi Tomio expressed opposition to the bill stating, "The government bill is aimed at a historic major adverse revision of the public pension system," and called for the bill to be scrapped because it "infringes on the constitutional right to 'maintain the minimum standards of wholesome and cultured living'."

Pointing out that the government bill is aimed at anything but a "reform", Yamaguchi proposed the JCP plan for a pension system that calls for guaranteeing everyone a minimum of 50,000 yen a month as an initial effort to defend the constitutional right to subsistence.

Prime Minister Koizumi Jun'ichiro said, "The merit of social services is in encouraging people to help themselves," thus dismissing the responsibility of the state.

The Liberal Democratic Party wants to get their bill enacted in the current Diet session. During the discussion, the ruling coalition partner Komei Party loudly praised the government bill as "worthy of the name of drastic reform."

The opposition Democratic Party of Japan called for the government bill to be withdrawn, but argued that the pension system be unified and reformed by using the consumption tax as funds. (end)