Japan Press Weekly

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2012 January 25 - 31 [POLITICS]

JCP Yamashita criticizes Osaka Mayor Hashimoto’s ‘dictatorship’

Japanese Communist Party Upper House member Yamashita Yoshiki told Osaka City Mayor Hashimoto Toru that Osaka Prefecture should help revitalize smaller local businesses rather than reorganizing itself into an “Osaka metropolis” in a TV debate program on January 28.

Aired by TV Asahi, this political debate program was titled, “Can Osaka Mayor ‘dictator’ Hashimoto save Japan?”

Hashimoto, who is also heading the local party “Osaka Ishin-no-Kai,” stressed the need to promote a plan to transform Osaka into a metropolitan administrative unit like Tokyo in order to overcome its current economic decline.

In response to Hashimoto, JCP Yamashita stated that one of the reasons for Osaka’s economic decline is the rapid increase in the number of non-regular workers due to the deregulation of national labor laws as well as the failure of the prefecture’s administrative policy based on the idea that the “prosperity of major corporations leads to the prosperity of Osaka.”

Yamashita pointed out that although Osaka went ahead and built the controversial Kansai Airport and invited major companies to locate there, many of them left the area and left many unemployed workers. “What is needed is the implementation of national regulations to force large corporations to fulfill their social responsibilities, and for local governments to take measures to support small- and medium-sized companies,” he said.

Concerning an educational ordinance his party is promoting, Hashimoto said, “Osaka has the highest crime rate among children. Students’ won’t listen to teachers who can’t follow rules.” He also said, “I don’t think teachers should be able to claim a right to freedom of belief by violating rules and regulations set by local assemblies.”

The ordinance will authorize the governor or the Osaka mayor to impose educational targets on public schools and fire teachers who do not follow orders from their superiors three times. Hashimoto is planning to propose another ordinance to require public school teachers to stand up and sing “Kimigayo” at school ceremonies.

Ikeda Tomotaka, former Osaka education board chair, said, “It is unacceptable to intimidate (teachers) in order to control education.” Yanagimoto Akira, Osaka City assembly member of the Liberal Democratic Party, said, “The national flag and anthem should be respected, but they should not be forced on the public with the passage of an ordinance.”

Ikeda also said, “The number of teachers who are taking leaves of absence in Osaka is twice the national average. The percentage of those who have emotional health problems associated with stress is three times higher than the national average. The need now is to hire more teachers to reduce the stress associated with a heavy workload.”