JCP proposes one-on-one debate between Shii and Aso

Japan Press Weekly

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

JCP proposes one-on-one debate between Shii and Aso

The Japanese Communist Party called on the Liberal Democratic Party to hold a one-on-one debate between JCP Chair Shii Kazuo and Prime Minister Aso Taro (LDP president) on the theme of measures to protect employment and the viability of small- and midsized enterprises.

JCP Diet Policy Committee Chair Kokuta Keiji on December 1 met with LDP Diet Affairs Committee Chair Oshima Tadamori and said, “With the end of the year approaching, many workers are losing their jobs and an increasing number of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are going out of business. It is necessary for the leaders of our two parties to have a serious discussion on what should be done in politics to protect jobs and SMEs.”

Oshima replied, “I’ll take your proposal seriously and consult with the Prime Minister’s Office.”

Pressed by public opinion, Aso requests business circles to maintain jobs

Prime Minister Aso Taro invited Japan Business Federation (Nippon Keidanren) Chairman Mitarai Fujio to the Prime Minister’s Official Residence on December 1 to request that the business sector move to raise wages next year.

Referring to the recent corporate moves to cut jobs for contingent workers and cancel job offers, Aso also requested that business circles make efforts to secure jobs.

Mitarai in reply said, “We’ll work to make the labor market stable,” but stopped short of clearly promising a wage increase.

Large corporations are planning to fire a large number of non-regular workers even though they have enough resources to secure their jobs.

It is believed that Aso was forced to take action in the face of mounting public criticism of the mass dismissals.

In order to preserve employment, the need is for the government to instruct and supervise the business world to take effective steps. It is also imperative to drastically revise the Worker Dispatch Law and to create a rule that severely restricts fixed-term employment contracts. - Akahata, December 2, 2008