Japan Press Weekly

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2012 January 25 - 31 [POLITICS]

Consumption tax hike deals another blow to disaster victims: JCP Ichida

Japanese Communist Party Secretariat Head Ichida Tadayoshi urged Prime Minister Noda Yoshihiko to give up the plan to increase the consumption tax rate which will deliver an additional blow to struggling disaster victims in his interpellation at the January 30 Upper House plenary session.

Ichida warned that a consumption tax hike to 10% will add 530 billion yen in tax burdens on residents of the 3.11 disaster-hit prefectures of Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima.

The tax hike and planned cuts in pension benefits will increase citizens’ payments by 16 trillion yen, causing damage to their livelihoods, the economy, and the national finance, he stressed.

The JCP representative demanded that the government extend the period of unemployment benefit payments and exemptions for medical and nursing care charges for disaster victims, who are struggling to make ends meet.

Criticizing the government for refusing to provide free medical services for children in Fukushima 18 years of age or younger, Ichida pointed out that the cost needed to realize this is 9 billion yen, a drop in the bucket compared to the government subsidy the ruling Democratic Party of Japan (16.8 trillion yen). “While securing a huge amount of money for itself, the government won’t extend a helping hand to children in Fukushima. What a cold-hearted stand to take!” he said.

In response to Ichida, Prime Minister Noda stated that the government plans to extend the exemption of disaster sufferers’ medical and nursing care payments for a certain period of time. However, he said that the government “has reached the conclusion that it is difficult” to offer free medical services to Fukushima children.

Ichida stressed that to achieve a revitalization of Japan’s economy, the government urgently needs to help restore citizens’ living and working conditions, expand and stabilize employment opportunities, and increase workers’ wages. He called on the prime minister to disallow major corporations’ selfish restructuring and establish rules to increase more stable regular job opportunities.