December 9, 2009
The new government is now pushing ahead with various reactionary policies such as “integrating the cabinet and ruling parties” and the “banning of bureaucrats from participating in Diet discussions” on the pretext of the need to have politicians take the initiatives, apparently in line with business circles interests.
Integrating the cabinet and ruling parties and strengthening prime minister’s authority
Keizai Doyukai in its policy proposal calls for the prime minister’s powers to be strengthened by promoting the “integration of the cabinet and ruling parties.” It also calls for “cabinet members to be appointed from ruling parties’ policymakers with the aim of promoting the integration of the cabinet and ruling parties, and that the “prime minister should have the right to select cabinet members and make decision on other personnel matters in order for ministers, vice-ministers, and parliamentary secretaries to work as a team.”
Keizai Doyukai recommends the strengthening of the prime minister’s authority under the name of integration of the cabinet and ruling parties.
In order to realize this, DPJ Secretary General Ozawa Ichiro first abolished the DPJ inner-party policy groups and had the top three ministerial officials (minister, vice minister, parliamentary secretary) take over policymaking authority. The DPJ has become a large party with more than 400 members in both chambers of the Diet. What Ozawa is attempting to do is to have just a few DPJ members take part in policymaking processes as cabinet members while the ruling parties would only endorse their proposals in the Diet.
On the other hand, Ozawa wants to restrict opposition parties’ ability to monitor government agencies under the name of “Diet reform”.
Ozawa is calling for the banning of bureaucrats from participating in Diet discussions. He also says “Diet reform” should include elimination of weekly schedules for standing committee meetings and introduction of all-year legislative sessions so that the Diet can hold discussions anytime it wants and as long as it wants in order for bills submitted by the government to be “effectively” enacted. In his book “Blueprint for a New Japan” published 16 years ago, he pointed out that opposition parties are restricting government leadership. “Diet discussions must be effectively carried out,” said Ozawa.
However, banning bureaucrats from participating in Diet discussions will erode the Diet’s role of monitoring administration. In particular, prohibiting the Cabinet Legislation Bureau director-general from taking part in Diet deliberations under the name of “regaining politicians’ initiatives” is apparently aimed at changing constitutional interpretations of the government, which has always rejected the use of force.
The DPJ, the Social Democratic Party, and the People’s New Party plan to submit a bill to revise the Diet Act, including a ban on the Cabinet Legislation Bureau director-general from participating in Diet discussions as soon as the next ordinary Diet session starts in January. “If we cannot reach a consensus with opposition parties, we have to settle this with a majority vote,” declared Ozawa.
DPJ proposal for ‘election manifesto’ means giving carte blanche to government once the election is over
Keizai Doyukai policy proposal states:
“Political reform should be carried out to establish policy-oriented politics. Each political party in the election will present voters with a “manifesto” containing promises of policies it will implement if it takes power, including numerical targets, timeframe sources of fiscal resources. The party that wins in the election and takes power will carry out the policies set out in its “manifesto.” By the time of the next election, the party in power will evaluate its own policies and voters will evaluate government performance in order to decide whether the ruling party should be replaced or not. This is the political cycle that needs to be established.”
The second feature of the policy proposals is that it gives the public an opportunity to have their opinions reflected in national politics only through the general election with the manifesto as the source for information.
This idea is shared by the report of a study team of the DPJ visiting Britain in September with Secretary General Ozawa Ichiro as the leader.
Emphasizing how well Britain’s election system is functioning with "manifestos" as the main campaign material, the report calls for Japan to establish a new election system that will provide voters with the only opportunity to exercise their sovereign rights. This is what Ozawa has been advocating for years. He has repeatedly stated, “The election is what democracy is about. This is the principle. The people, who have sovereign power, can exercise the sovereign power only in the elections” (at a news conference on October 7).
In the 2003 House of Representatives general election which was held after Keizai Doyukai published the policy proposals, the DPJ began calling on the LDP to engage in “manifesto elections,” making it the main issue.
In a public opinion survey following the 2009 general election, however, 52 percent of the respondents said the DPJ won in a landslide not because its policies got big support (Asahi Shimbun, September 1). In fact, a majority of the respondents expressed disagreement with some policies.
Health and Welfare Minister Nagatsuma Akira says that the DPJ "manifesto" has become a "mandate from the people." Thus, the DPJ government regards the manifesto as "absolute."
Another proposal to establish an overall single-seat constituency system - totally distorting public opinion
The Keizai Doyukai policy proposal states:
“We call for a single-seat constituency system to be adopted in order to make true change of power possible.”
“The House of Representatives general election should be aimed at choosing a party to take power. In a general election, parties are called upon to campaign by declaring who they are nominating to be the next prime minister and other cabinet members.”
“The House of Representatives general election under the single-seat constituency system will also be an election to choose the next government and prime minister.”
The House of Representatives currently consists of 480 seats, with 300 elected from single-seat constituencies, and the remaining 180 elected from 11 proportional representation blocs. The single-seat constituency system will do away with the proportional representation portion of the election even though proportional representation constituencies most accurately reflect the general will of the public.
In its “Manifesto” for the 2009 general election, the DPJ called for the number of House of Representatives proportional representation seats to be reduced by 80. This is a major first step toward the establishment of a truly undemocratic election system. If this plan is implemented, 75 percent of all House of Representatives seats will be filled by members elected from single-seat constituencies, up from the present 62.5 percent. This will be another serious distortion of the public will. What is more, it is estimated that 92 percent of the House of Representatives seats will be occupied by the two major parties, the DPJ and the LDP. This will mean a Diet being under the control of the two major parties that managed to shut out all the smaller parties.
Prime Minister Hatoyama has been an advocate of a single-seat constituency system for years. Since the former Democratic Party was established in 1996, he has been insisting that the number of House of Representatives seats should be reduced to 300 seats for all representatives to be elected under a single-seat system.
Foreign Minister Okada Katsuya, then DPJ secretary general, stated (on an NHK debate program on September 1), "If the proportional representation seats become a majority in the House of Representatives election, a third force might take the initiative in the Diet, going against the public will. Advocating opposition to shifting weight onto the proportional representation seats, he said, “A dynamic administrative change can only be ensured by an election system based on the single-seat constituency system.”
Denial of Diet role
The DPJ is faithfully attempting to carry out the blueprint for a “two -party system” drawn up by business circles, apparently with the aim of creating an authoritarian regime.
If a political party comes to power based on its “manifesto” as a result of a general election, this party will be given a blank check to implement its “manifesto” until the next general election, and the existing Diet procedures will also be changed in order to “smoothly” enact government-sponsored bills. There will be no democratic processes such as listening to public opinion and utilizing the Diet as an organ to hold thorough public discussions.
Elections will be trivialized into just choosing a “new government” and a “new prime minister,” and the principle to choose representatives of various constituencies will be ignored.
What is more, if a “single-seat constituency system” is introduced only for the convenience of “choosing a government,” public opinion will be further disregarded. For example, voices of opposition to an increase in the consumption tax and adverse revisions of Article 9 of the Constitution will no longer reach the Diet.
This encompasses a direct denial of the right to democratic processes and the role of the Diet to reflect popular will.
The Japanese Communist Party in its draft resolution of the 25th Congress states that it “strongly opposes any attempt to create an authoritarian state in line with the blueprint created by business circles and will continue to exert every effort to defend the principle of popular sovereignty and parliamentary democracy as stipulated in the Constitution.”
- Akahata, December 9, 2009
Keizai Doyukai in its policy proposal calls for the prime minister’s powers to be strengthened by promoting the “integration of the cabinet and ruling parties.” It also calls for “cabinet members to be appointed from ruling parties’ policymakers with the aim of promoting the integration of the cabinet and ruling parties, and that the “prime minister should have the right to select cabinet members and make decision on other personnel matters in order for ministers, vice-ministers, and parliamentary secretaries to work as a team.”
Keizai Doyukai recommends the strengthening of the prime minister’s authority under the name of integration of the cabinet and ruling parties.
In order to realize this, DPJ Secretary General Ozawa Ichiro first abolished the DPJ inner-party policy groups and had the top three ministerial officials (minister, vice minister, parliamentary secretary) take over policymaking authority. The DPJ has become a large party with more than 400 members in both chambers of the Diet. What Ozawa is attempting to do is to have just a few DPJ members take part in policymaking processes as cabinet members while the ruling parties would only endorse their proposals in the Diet.
On the other hand, Ozawa wants to restrict opposition parties’ ability to monitor government agencies under the name of “Diet reform”.
Ozawa is calling for the banning of bureaucrats from participating in Diet discussions. He also says “Diet reform” should include elimination of weekly schedules for standing committee meetings and introduction of all-year legislative sessions so that the Diet can hold discussions anytime it wants and as long as it wants in order for bills submitted by the government to be “effectively” enacted. In his book “Blueprint for a New Japan” published 16 years ago, he pointed out that opposition parties are restricting government leadership. “Diet discussions must be effectively carried out,” said Ozawa.
However, banning bureaucrats from participating in Diet discussions will erode the Diet’s role of monitoring administration. In particular, prohibiting the Cabinet Legislation Bureau director-general from taking part in Diet deliberations under the name of “regaining politicians’ initiatives” is apparently aimed at changing constitutional interpretations of the government, which has always rejected the use of force.
The DPJ, the Social Democratic Party, and the People’s New Party plan to submit a bill to revise the Diet Act, including a ban on the Cabinet Legislation Bureau director-general from participating in Diet discussions as soon as the next ordinary Diet session starts in January. “If we cannot reach a consensus with opposition parties, we have to settle this with a majority vote,” declared Ozawa.
DPJ proposal for ‘election manifesto’ means giving carte blanche to government once the election is over
Keizai Doyukai policy proposal states:
“Political reform should be carried out to establish policy-oriented politics. Each political party in the election will present voters with a “manifesto” containing promises of policies it will implement if it takes power, including numerical targets, timeframe sources of fiscal resources. The party that wins in the election and takes power will carry out the policies set out in its “manifesto.” By the time of the next election, the party in power will evaluate its own policies and voters will evaluate government performance in order to decide whether the ruling party should be replaced or not. This is the political cycle that needs to be established.”
The second feature of the policy proposals is that it gives the public an opportunity to have their opinions reflected in national politics only through the general election with the manifesto as the source for information.
This idea is shared by the report of a study team of the DPJ visiting Britain in September with Secretary General Ozawa Ichiro as the leader.
Emphasizing how well Britain’s election system is functioning with "manifestos" as the main campaign material, the report calls for Japan to establish a new election system that will provide voters with the only opportunity to exercise their sovereign rights. This is what Ozawa has been advocating for years. He has repeatedly stated, “The election is what democracy is about. This is the principle. The people, who have sovereign power, can exercise the sovereign power only in the elections” (at a news conference on October 7).
In the 2003 House of Representatives general election which was held after Keizai Doyukai published the policy proposals, the DPJ began calling on the LDP to engage in “manifesto elections,” making it the main issue.
In a public opinion survey following the 2009 general election, however, 52 percent of the respondents said the DPJ won in a landslide not because its policies got big support (Asahi Shimbun, September 1). In fact, a majority of the respondents expressed disagreement with some policies.
Health and Welfare Minister Nagatsuma Akira says that the DPJ "manifesto" has become a "mandate from the people." Thus, the DPJ government regards the manifesto as "absolute."
Another proposal to establish an overall single-seat constituency system - totally distorting public opinion
The Keizai Doyukai policy proposal states:
“We call for a single-seat constituency system to be adopted in order to make true change of power possible.”
“The House of Representatives general election should be aimed at choosing a party to take power. In a general election, parties are called upon to campaign by declaring who they are nominating to be the next prime minister and other cabinet members.”
“The House of Representatives general election under the single-seat constituency system will also be an election to choose the next government and prime minister.”
The House of Representatives currently consists of 480 seats, with 300 elected from single-seat constituencies, and the remaining 180 elected from 11 proportional representation blocs. The single-seat constituency system will do away with the proportional representation portion of the election even though proportional representation constituencies most accurately reflect the general will of the public.
In its “Manifesto” for the 2009 general election, the DPJ called for the number of House of Representatives proportional representation seats to be reduced by 80. This is a major first step toward the establishment of a truly undemocratic election system. If this plan is implemented, 75 percent of all House of Representatives seats will be filled by members elected from single-seat constituencies, up from the present 62.5 percent. This will be another serious distortion of the public will. What is more, it is estimated that 92 percent of the House of Representatives seats will be occupied by the two major parties, the DPJ and the LDP. This will mean a Diet being under the control of the two major parties that managed to shut out all the smaller parties.
Prime Minister Hatoyama has been an advocate of a single-seat constituency system for years. Since the former Democratic Party was established in 1996, he has been insisting that the number of House of Representatives seats should be reduced to 300 seats for all representatives to be elected under a single-seat system.
Foreign Minister Okada Katsuya, then DPJ secretary general, stated (on an NHK debate program on September 1), "If the proportional representation seats become a majority in the House of Representatives election, a third force might take the initiative in the Diet, going against the public will. Advocating opposition to shifting weight onto the proportional representation seats, he said, “A dynamic administrative change can only be ensured by an election system based on the single-seat constituency system.”
Denial of Diet role
The DPJ is faithfully attempting to carry out the blueprint for a “two -party system” drawn up by business circles, apparently with the aim of creating an authoritarian regime.
If a political party comes to power based on its “manifesto” as a result of a general election, this party will be given a blank check to implement its “manifesto” until the next general election, and the existing Diet procedures will also be changed in order to “smoothly” enact government-sponsored bills. There will be no democratic processes such as listening to public opinion and utilizing the Diet as an organ to hold thorough public discussions.
Elections will be trivialized into just choosing a “new government” and a “new prime minister,” and the principle to choose representatives of various constituencies will be ignored.
What is more, if a “single-seat constituency system” is introduced only for the convenience of “choosing a government,” public opinion will be further disregarded. For example, voices of opposition to an increase in the consumption tax and adverse revisions of Article 9 of the Constitution will no longer reach the Diet.
This encompasses a direct denial of the right to democratic processes and the role of the Diet to reflect popular will.
The Japanese Communist Party in its draft resolution of the 25th Congress states that it “strongly opposes any attempt to create an authoritarian state in line with the blueprint created by business circles and will continue to exert every effort to defend the principle of popular sovereignty and parliamentary democracy as stipulated in the Constitution.”
- Akahata, December 9, 2009
