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Market testing bill cuts public services, makes corporate profits
Akahata editorial (excerpts)

The Diet before long will take up deliberations on a bill to open public services to the private sector and to decide on the bearers of the services through competitive biddings.

The "market testing" bill is aimed at abolishing "unnecessary" public services and pursuing "qualitative improvement as well as cost reduction" through competition between the public and private sectors or among private businesses.

The government is required to make efforts to eliminate the waste and operate more efficiently, but the bill aiming at cutbacks in public services runs counter to the spirit of the Constitution and the Local Autonomy Law mandating the promotion of social welfare.

The bill has no basis for the defending of public lives, health, and safety that the government should bear the responsibility for.

The Koizumi Cabinet says that the introduction of "market testing" will "give private businesses more opportunities."

In model businesses of "market testing" conducted prior to the submission of the bill, major temporary staffing agencies made successful bids for employment assistance services currently provided by the public employment office, and a subsidiary wholly owned by a credit card company affiliated with the largest distributive firm was awarded a contract for collection of national pension premiums.

This proves that the "market testing" bill has come out for the interests of large corporations.

National and local governments have the primary role to supervise the private sector. Leaving public services in the hands of profit-making corporations will lead to a dismantling of the system established to defend citizens' rights from the outrageous pursuit of profit.

The Japanese Communist Party is opposing the bill that will cut public services in order to make corporate profits.
- Akahata, March 7, 2006