Japan Press Weekly

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2017 February 8 - 14 [POLITICS]

Tokyo JCP calls for 25% cut in pay for metropolitan assemblypersons

The group of Japanese Communist Party members of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly on February 8 announced a proposal to reform the assembly, including a 25% cut in pay for assemblypersons.

The proposal calls for reducing assembly members’ salaries to the same level as the average of salaries for metropolitan government officials. If implemented, the annual remuneration for metropolitan legislators will be decreased from the current 17.15 million yen to 12.88 million yen.

It also proposes to stop giving assemblypersons a daily allowance of over 10,000 yen in the name of “commuting fares” and instead provide them with only the actual expenses incurred. Although the JCP submitted a draft ordinance to that effect to the metropolitan assembly in March 2015, the Liberal Democratic and Komei parties have deliberately delayed discussions on the draft.

In addition, the JCP proposal calls for abolishing the practices of allocating an official vehicle for the secretary-general of each assembly group and of presenting veteran legislators with their portraits and commemorative medals encrusted with diamonds or emeralds. It also highlights the need to broadcast all committee deliberations live on the Internet.

At a news conference held in the metropolitan government office building, Oyama Tomoko, secretary-general of the JCP metropolitan assembly members’ group, said, “This proposal reflects Tokyoites’ demands for reforming the metropolitan assembly. In order to put it into practice as early as possible, we call on other political groups to discuss our proposal seriously.”