November 7, 2011
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2011 November 2 - 8 [POLITICS]
DPJ let its Manifesto die silently |
Akahata on November 7 reported that it discovered a three-page memorandum, entitled, “About a concept of creating a Japanese society in 21st Century”, which was written by the then vice deputy chief cabinet secretary and former DPJ acting president Sengoku Yoshito on March 23, 2011 after the 3.11 disaster.
The memo gave a rough outline of restoring the Japanese society from the disaster and the nuclear accident.
The first item listed in the memo was that “the DPJ Manifesto should be watered down and then ‘put away.” The memo stated that the 3.11 disaster should be considered as “birth pangs for the next step,” and that the DPJ should seek a coalition with other political parties in order to promote a combined reform of financial and social welfare systems along with the opening and globalization of the country.
In other words, taking the disaster as opportunity to change direction, the memo recommends that the DPJ gradually scrap its Manifesto and create a coalition government with the Liberal Democratic and Komei parties with the aim of pushing forward with pro-business policies, including a consumption tax hike and participation in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) free-trade pact.
The DPJ’s approval of the regressive reform of social welfare programs and the taxation system was an example of what was referred to as regressive changes in the Manifesto that the party promised voters it would oppose during the 2009 general election. When the DPJ concluded with the LDP and Komei an agreement in August to scrap its election promises, the party eventually buried its Manifesto as the memo suggested it do.
Now, the third prime minister of the DPJ, Noda Yoshihiko, relies on support from big businesses and the U.S. government, forging ahead with politics based on their demands and not in the public interest.
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