 JCP demands undemocratic Governor Ishihara be reprimanded The Japanese Communist Party on June 6 submitted a motion to the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly demanding that Governor Ishihara Shintaro be reprimanded for his abuse of power by surrogating Vice Governor Hamauzu Takeo to perform his daily work, including personnel affairs, and absenting himself from the office for more than half a week. The motion was submitted to the assembly's steering committee board, but it was rejected by the majority force of the Liberal Democratic, Komei, and Democratic parties. Ishihara at the May 13 press conference admitted that he was involved with Hamauzu's request to a DPJ assembly member to take up the Social Welfare Center Institute in the assembly. Hamauzu served as secretary to Ishihara when he was a Lower House member. In submitting the reprimand motion, the JCP demanded that the governor take responsibility for this. Most of the metropolitan land and facilities was rented to a private vocational school. This was a result of Governor Ishihara's welfare services privatization policy, the JCP pointed out in the assembly. The Assembly ad hoc disciplinary committee found that Hamauzu gave false testimony in the assembly concerning his request to a DPJ member to ask favorable questions. Hamauzu was censured for this by the assembly on June 2. Following the assembly's acceptance of the resignation of Hamauzu and others, the governor made proposals on personnel to calm down the matter. At the June 6 press conference, Yoshida Nobuo, JCP assembly member group secretary general, stated that the personnel change will not acquit Governor Ishihara of responsibility for the scandal. "The all-are-ruling party" forces that opposed the JCP proposal for reprimanding Ishihara must be held responsible for giving a free hand to the dictatorial governor, Yoshida stated. - Akahata, June 7, 2005 |