Government must act responsibly to meet urgent needs of the public: Ichida

Japan Press Weekly

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

Government must act responsibly to meet urgent needs of the public: Ichida

Japanese Communist Party Secretariat Head Ichida Tadayoshi took the floor in the House of Councilors Plenary Session on October 30 to urge the government to implement policies in response to the urgent needs of the public. “The JCP will make every effort to realize the demands of the public as expressed in the recent House of Representatives general election,” he stressed.

Ichida quoted Prime Minister Hatoyama Yukio as stating in his policy speech on October 26, “We will undertake a transformation of national politics with the belief that now is the time to change Japanese history, in order to live up to each citizen's strong wishes and impassioned expectations.” He then pointed out that the prime minister failed to commit himself to introducing any concrete measures in response to the urgent public needs.

The following are the critical issues Ichida raised in his interpellation.

On the question of employment, Ichida said that given the increasing numbers of people forced out of work, the government in its “emergency measures for jobs” plan should include a national provision to “extend the period of unemployment benefit payments”.

He pressed the government to take relief measures for those who are not qualified to receive unemployment benefits because they have repeatedly had to take short-term jobs.

Hatoyama was not supportive of this demand on the grounds that fiscal resources available to employment insurance payments are limited.

Ichida also demanded that the government regulate the use of temporary workers by amending the Worker Dispatch Law.

Hatoyama replied, “I will have the government Labor Policy Council discuss measures that might be called for.”

On small- and medium-sized businesses, Ichida articulated four measures needed urgently to help small- and medium-sized businesses resolve their financial problems, pointing out that they account for 90 percent of all Japanese firms and that they employ 70 percent of the nation’s workforce.

Hatoyama promised a strict implementation of the anti-trust law and the small business law so that large corporations cannot illegally dismiss contingent workers. He also said that the government would consider new legislation on this issue.

On relief measures for patients suffering from drug-induced hepatitis, Ichida demanded that the government move quickly to establish a relief law for them in the current session of the Diet.

Hatoyama just said, “We will do our best to realize the demand of hepatitis patients as early as possible. However, he stopped short of promising to get the new law enacted in the current session of the Diet.

On climate change, Ichida asked Hatoyama to act decisively to achieve the 25 percent cut in greenhouse gas emissions, which he promised, by forcing the industrial sector, which emits 80 percent of the nation’s carbon emissions, to take effective measures to cut emissions. Ichida also urged the government to conclude a treaty with the industrial sector to set specific goals for emissions reduction as the European Union has.

Hatoyama said that the Cabinet committee would discuss possible concrete measures.

On U.S. military bases in Okinawa, Ichida urged the government to respect Okinawans’ demand for “no new U.S. base” and to oppose the construction of a new base in the Henoko district or the relocation within Okinawa of the U.S. Marine Corps Futenma Air Station. He also criticized the defense minister and the foreign minister for publicly disclaiming the possibility of moving the Futenma base out of Okinawa. Ichida demanded that the government support the wishes of Okinawans for the dismantling of the U.S. base instead of succumbing to U.S. pressure.

Recognizing the need to respect Okinawans’ wishes, Hatoyama said, “I will decide what to do on this issue soon. I do not believe that my government is subservient to the United States.”

- Akahata, October 31, 2009