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Japan Press Service Co., Ltd. is the only news agency providing information of progressive, democratic movements in Japan

JCP receives largest number of signatures for various petitions to Diet

Japanese Communist Party lawmakers have accepted 5.17 million signatures (68.6 % of the total) for various petitions to the Diet session during the 42-day special session that ended on November 1.

This number is far greater than those handled by the Liberal Democratic Party (1.89 million) and the Democratic Party (0.36 million).

In the ordinary session of the Diet (January-August), the JCP received 23.4 million signatures which is 66.6 % of the total.

This shows that the JCP in the Diet is playing an important role as a conduit for public demands to the Diet.

Of the signatures brought in to the JCP, the number of signatures calling nationally for more state-subsidies to private schools and other education-related signatures reached 15.6 million. Petitions in opposing an adverse revision of the Constitution included 1.5 million signatures during the past year.

The JCP also submitted petitions with signatures calling for the immediate withdrawal of the Self-Defense Forces from Iraq and opposition to an increase in the consumption tax rate.

In the latest Diet session, however, the House of Representatives took up only four petitions and the House of Councilors 6.

The JCP demands that the Diet deliberate public petitions even during the recess as a step to improve the processing of petitions. -- Akahata, November 13, 2005