Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election offers opportunity to improve people's livelihoods and change national politics

Japan Press Weekly

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

Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election offers opportunity to improve people's livelihoods and change national politics
Akahata editorial

Amid a lot of talk about the possible dissolution of the House of Representatives for an early general election, campaigning for the 127-seat Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election starts today (July 3).

This election draws nationwide attention as it is not only an election that has an important bearing on Tokyo citizens' livelihoods but one that is linked to the upcoming House of Representatives general election. This is why it will affect the course of national politics.

JCP vs. LDP-Komei-DPJ

In Tokyo, the Democratic Party of Japan, which is an opposition party in the Diet, is in actuality one of the ruling parties aligned with the Liberal Democratic and Komei parties.

In the past four years alone, the DPJ voted in favor on 99 percent of 1,149 bills introduced by Governor Ishihara Shintaro. It now poses as "an opposition party" without making any critical review of all-out support for Governor Ishihara's policies. it continues to attempt to deceive. It is not honest to Tokyo residents into accepting it as an opposition party.

It is clear that the main feature of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election is the confrontation between the JCP and the ruling forces made up of the LDP, Komei, and the DPJ.

With many people being hard hit by the serious economic crisis, the metropolitan assembly election campaign is focusing on how to change the Tokyo Metropolitan Government policies toward performing the basic role of providing adequate social welfare services and protecting residents' livelihoods.

Ishihara has been the governor of Tokyo for 10 years. He has complained that welfare programs are too costly and has reduced spending on them, including subsidies for medical costs for the elderly. As a result, Tokyo's spending per-capita on social welfare services for the elderly slipped to the lowest level from its standing as second highest nationwide at the time when Governor Ishihara took office.

Opposing Ishihara's policy and the ruling force made up of the LDP, the DPJ, and Komei, the JCP, in cooperation with residents, has pressed the metropolitan government to ensure that Tokyo residents can access medical services, demanding that free medical services for the elderly aged 75 and over be introduced and that the plan to abolish metropolitan hospitals be canceled. The JCP has also called for child care centers to be improved so that there will be no children on waiting lists to enter. It also calls for the class size at public schools to be reduced.

In these struggles, the JCP has driven the Ishihara administration and the ruling forces in the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly into a corner. We are getting closer to the realization of these demands. In the metropolitan assembly, the Ishihara administration stated that it will take seriously the call for free medical services to be introduced for the elderly aged 75 and over. The abolition of children's hospitals was approved only by a margin of one vote. The metropolitan government has also said it will seriously consider reducing the maximum class size at public schools to 30 in response to public demand.

The metropolitan administration carried out cutbacks in spending for welfare programs not because of a lack of resources. The size of Tokyo's public finances, about 13 trillion yen, is almost the same as that of Sweden. Tokyo also has a saving of 1.6 trillion yen. If it cancels the construction of the "Tokyo Beltway" which will cost 100 million yen per meter, and other wasteful construction projects using Tokyo's bid for hosting the 2016 Olympics as the main rationale, it can create the needed funds for improving social services.

If the JCP can increase the number of its seats in the metropolitan assembly, it will be possible to change the existing balance of power there and meet the needs of the residents. The key to restoring policies to defend residents' living conditions is the realization of a major JCP advance in the coming election.

Yardstick for choosing a political party to vote for

There is a lot of talks about choosing either the "LDP or DPJ". However, the reality of the metropolitan government shows that this is not what the present Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election is about. At the national level as well as in Tokyo, voters are asked to choose a party that will devote itself to the betterment of residents' livelihoods, a party that is consistent in its political stance.

The JCP is showing voters that it is a party that remains firm in opposing a consumption tax increase, a party that can say "No!" to business circles, and stands against money politics and opposes corporate donations.

Only a JCP advance can put an end to the illusion of competition between the LDP and the DPJ, and can pave the way for a new direction in politics.

- Akahata, July 3, 2009