July 12, 2012
Japanese Communist Party Secretariat Head Ichida Tadayoshi described the formation of the new party launched by former leader of the Democratic Party of Japan Ozawa Ichiro as “a sign of public anger” at a press conference in the Diet building on July 11.
Asked for a comment on Ozawa’s new party, Ichida said, “The Noda Cabinet didn’t do what it said it would do, and went ahead and increased the consumption tax rate though it said it wouldn’t. It ignored the protests of a vast majority of the public and railroaded the tax hike bill through the Lower House. The Ozawa-led new party is an indication of the public anger over this move.”
In order to proceed with the democratic steering of the Diet and to realize people’s demands, Ichida added, “In regard to political parties or groups, the JCP will work together with those with which common ground exists, irrespective of differences in our basic policy on domestic and foreign affairs. This has been our party’s stance and will not change.”
In the new party, 49 Dietmembers from both chambers have joined, becoming the third largest party after the DPJ and the Liberal Democratic Party. Ozawa seeks to create cooperation with local parties, including Osaka City Mayor Hashimoto Toru’s “Osaka Ishin-no Kai”, in the next general election.
Ozawa held his party’s inauguration assembly on July 11 and stated, “The current DPJ is not what it was at the time of the regime change. We will present policies returning to the starting point of the change in government.”
He also stated, “We will strive to develop new energy sources in place of nuclear power and will clarify the direction for breaking with nuclear power generation.”
Asked for a comment on Ozawa’s new party, Ichida said, “The Noda Cabinet didn’t do what it said it would do, and went ahead and increased the consumption tax rate though it said it wouldn’t. It ignored the protests of a vast majority of the public and railroaded the tax hike bill through the Lower House. The Ozawa-led new party is an indication of the public anger over this move.”
In order to proceed with the democratic steering of the Diet and to realize people’s demands, Ichida added, “In regard to political parties or groups, the JCP will work together with those with which common ground exists, irrespective of differences in our basic policy on domestic and foreign affairs. This has been our party’s stance and will not change.”
In the new party, 49 Dietmembers from both chambers have joined, becoming the third largest party after the DPJ and the Liberal Democratic Party. Ozawa seeks to create cooperation with local parties, including Osaka City Mayor Hashimoto Toru’s “Osaka Ishin-no Kai”, in the next general election.
Ozawa held his party’s inauguration assembly on July 11 and stated, “The current DPJ is not what it was at the time of the regime change. We will present policies returning to the starting point of the change in government.”
He also stated, “We will strive to develop new energy sources in place of nuclear power and will clarify the direction for breaking with nuclear power generation.”
