June 10, 2011
About 1,200 people, including unionists, lawyers, and citizens, on June 9 in Tokyo held a rally in protest against a move to reduce the number of proportional representation seats in both houses.
The rally was called by the organizing committee consisting of the National Confederation of Trade Unions (Zenroren) and the Japan Lawyers Association for Freedom.
In the rally, Japanese Communist Party Secretariat Head Ichida Tadayoshi pointed out that the Democratic and the Liberal Democratic parties, which have similar policies, intend to form a grand coalition with the aim to achieve a consumption tax increase and an adverse revision of the Constitution.
He also said that the reason why the two parties are increasing their efforts to cut the number of Dietmembers is because they want to squash criticism of the coalition.
Ichida then expressed his determination to work hard to stop the two parties’ move to join together to impose adverse policies and to play a role in linking the public to the Diet.
Professor emeritus at Hitotsubashi University Watanabe Osamu in his lecture portrayed the proposed cuts in Diet seats as the start of the “ruin of democracy.”
Pointing out that the real aim of the grand coalition is to promote “structural reform” policies and to strengthen the Japan-U.S. military alliance, Watanabe said that the DPJ and the LDP attempt to drive the opposition force from the Diet by decreasing the number of seats while people are unaware what will happen with the grand coalition must be strongly opposed.
The rally adopted an appeal opposing the cuts in Dietmembers and calling on the participants to spread a movement demanding a revision of the current election system to one fairly reflecting public opinions.
The rally was called by the organizing committee consisting of the National Confederation of Trade Unions (Zenroren) and the Japan Lawyers Association for Freedom.
In the rally, Japanese Communist Party Secretariat Head Ichida Tadayoshi pointed out that the Democratic and the Liberal Democratic parties, which have similar policies, intend to form a grand coalition with the aim to achieve a consumption tax increase and an adverse revision of the Constitution.
He also said that the reason why the two parties are increasing their efforts to cut the number of Dietmembers is because they want to squash criticism of the coalition.
Ichida then expressed his determination to work hard to stop the two parties’ move to join together to impose adverse policies and to play a role in linking the public to the Diet.
Professor emeritus at Hitotsubashi University Watanabe Osamu in his lecture portrayed the proposed cuts in Diet seats as the start of the “ruin of democracy.”
Pointing out that the real aim of the grand coalition is to promote “structural reform” policies and to strengthen the Japan-U.S. military alliance, Watanabe said that the DPJ and the LDP attempt to drive the opposition force from the Diet by decreasing the number of seats while people are unaware what will happen with the grand coalition must be strongly opposed.
The rally adopted an appeal opposing the cuts in Dietmembers and calling on the participants to spread a movement demanding a revision of the current election system to one fairly reflecting public opinions.
