election

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Vote for JCP in metropolitan assembly election
Akahata editorial

The Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election will be announced on June 24.

The Japanese Communist Party is making every effort to change the metropolitan administration into one in which social services and livelihoods are protected and peace and democracy respected. We need the voters' support.

Three norms in choice of party

In Tokyo, all parties except the JCP, the Liberal Democratic, Komei, and Democratic parties, and the Seikatsusha Net(work), are assisting Governor Ishihara Shintaro. There are three major issues on which voters will choose which party to vote for. Which party will defend welfare and living conditions? Which party has the power to end wasteful expenditures? And which party can be the champion of peace and democracy in Tokyo?

An examination of the present state of Tokyo's politics reveals how extraordinary the Ishihara government and pro-Ishihara parties are.

Saying that social services are the height of extravagance, Governor Ishihara has slashed expenditures on social services. In contrast, he poured enormous sums of tax money on such wasteful large public works projects as the waterfront urban development project. The governor has publicly stated that he will stake his life on breaking the Constitution and violating the freedom of conscience of pupils and teachers by using the Hinomaru (rising sun flag) and Kimigayo (eternal reign of the emperor) as a test of allegiance. The pro-Ishihara parties supported this policy.

The contradiction of the governor's arrogance of engaging in strong-arm politics supported by pro-Ishihara parties has taken shape in the resignation of Vice Governor Hamauzu Takeo. The problem is developing into a state of major confusion and stalemate in the metropolitan government.

Calling for foiling Ishihara's anti-people politics, the JCP submitted to the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly a motion to censure the governor for offering no remorse for his mal-administration. However, the Liberal Democratic, Komei, and Democratic parties, and the Tokyo Seikatsusha Network voted against and killed this motion. The Democratic Party even voted against a motion to censure vice governor Hamauzu Takeo. How can such governing parties supporting Ishihara's high-handed politics truly meet public demands?

Another issue is the LDP, Komei and Democratic parties' participation in the luxurious overseas trips by Tokyo Metropolitan assembly members using tax money. While undermining Tokyoites' living conditions, they spend 1.48 million yen a trip per 'tourist,' a total of 56.45 million yen during the last four years. Urged by the JCP to end this abuse of power, they argued that the trips were not luxurious, making no reflection on this issue. The Seikatsusha Network is defending these parties.

Leading members of Tokyo's LDP and DPJ are in favor of forcing teachers and students to raise the Hinomaru flag and sing the Kimigayo song at school ceremonies and justify the war of aggression, calling governor Ishihara a "comrade."

DPJ representatives have stated, "The DPJ supports Ishihara's good policies but puts a break on his bad policies" (DPJ representative Okada Katsuya), and "any person is disqualified to be a Tokyo Assembly member unless one can say 'No' to Ishihara" (former DPJ representative Kan Naoto).

Hasn't the DPJ-Tokyo in the assembly voted for almost every proposal of the governor? The DPJ supported all the governor's bills in the March session. If Kan is taken at his word, all DPJ assembly members cannot be qualified.

Access to dreams

Day after day in the election campaign, the real figure of "all-are-government parties" politics has become clear to Tokyoites. The June 18th issue of the Weekly Diamond posed the question: "Can the Tokyo Assembly's 'all-are-government parties' that excludes the JCP really check the Metropolitan administration?"

Thus, it is increasingly recognized that the JCP is the only party that can check Ishihara politics from the viewpoint of defending citizens' interests.

An increase in JCP seats in the Tokyo Assembly will help realizing the following keen demands: school class sizes of less than 30 pupils, free medical care for elementary and junior high school students, a payment of 10,000 yen a month for elderly people's nursing care, and a partial reinstatement of the abolished free bus tickets for the elderly.

Let's make efforts for a JCP victory in the Tokyo Assembly member election so that Tokyoites may have a hopeful future. -- Akahata, June 19, 2005