politics

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

Bills to cut public services approved by Lower House

The House of Representatives on April 20 approved a set of "administrative reform" bills to cut public services by the majority of the Liberal Democratic Party, Komei Party and other parties. The Japanese Communist Party voted against them.

In a discussion preceding the vote, Japanese Communist Party Shiokawa Tetsuya took the rostrum, and said, "The bills, which Prime Minister Koizumi Jun'ichiro has touted as the finishing touches in his 'reform' policy that will drastically reduce the central government's role in the name of 'simplicity and efficiency,' will abandon state responsibility for public safety and well-being."

Shiokawa also criticized the government for failing to tackle the urgent task of regulating amakudari (appointing retired high government officials to key posts of major corporations), bid-rigging, and corporate fund donations to political parties.

At a press conference on the same day JCP Chair Shii Kazuo stated that the JCP will make every effort to get the bills scrapped after a thorough deliberation on the bills in the Upper House. "The need now is for the public to increase the grassroots struggle against attacks on public employees," he added.

The Democratic Party opposed one of the five government bills. While the government bill calling for cutting the number of public employees by 5 percent in five years, the DPJ in its counterproposal bill called for cuts in public employees' personnel expenses by 20 percent in three years.

JCP Shii criticized the DPJ bill for providing a deeper cut than the LDP's in the number of government employees.

In the voting, the DPJ supported the "market testing" bill and three other government bills, but voted against a bill to which the party made a counter proposal.

Shii said, "How the DPJ handles the bills was an initial litmus test for the new DPJ leadership under Ozawa Ichiro which argued for an increased 'confrontation' with the LDP. Contrary to this, the DPJ competed with the LDP in pushing for similar adverse reforms. This shows that the DPJ is sharing the same position with the LDP, far from maintaining the stance of the opposition."
- Akahata, April 21, 2006