 Shii criticizes the Koizumi government for committing three grave mistakes Japanese Communist Party Executive Committee Chair Shii Kazuo, on a communication satellite TV Asahi Newstar program aired on May 10, pointed out three faults made by the Koizumi government as follows: Interviewer: Can you cite three things that you cannot condone about the Koizumi government in its fifth year? Shii: First, the Koizumi government has pushed ahead with policies subservient to the United States to the extreme. Urged by a U.S. official to "show the flag," it dispatched an Aegis-equipped SDF destroyer to the Indian Ocean. At the U.S. call for "boots on the ground," it sent SDF units to Iraq. And now, it is responding to former deputy secretary of state Richard Armitage's "warning" that "Article 9 is an obstacle to the Japan-U.S. alliance" by taking a step toward revising it. Secondly, with no remorse for the Japanese history of war of aggression, the Koizumi government is responsible for worsening relations with Asian nations. There are various causes behind the worsening relationships between Japan and China as well as Japan and Korea, but the root cause is that Japan glosses over its war of aggression and colonialism, and Koizumi adds insult to injury with his refusal to stop visiting Yasukuni Shrine where war criminals are enshrined. Thirdly, concerning people's living conditions, the Koizumi government promotes policies in favor of the strong against the weak under the name of "structural reform." His cabinet already forced people to shoulder about four trillion yen of burden, and is trying to impose an extra seven trillion yen in the next two years. It even seeks to increase the consumption tax in FY 2007, while providing tax breaks for large corporations. As a result of the deregulation that encouraged "restructuring" by large companies, a collapse in the country's employment and wage system became more ominous than ever. All these "three faults" are inexpiable and required to be lifted from his policies. - Akahata, May 11, 2005 |