Japan Press Weekly

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2013 August 28 - September 3 [POLITICS]

Increase joint efforts to block Abe’s runaway policies

Akahata editorial

Here comes September. Contradictions between the Abe Cabinet and the general public are increasing regarding such issues as an increase in the consumption tax, Japan’s participation in multilateral free-trade talks, the collapse of the job market, further cuts in social security services, the restart of nuclear reactors, Japan’s use of the right to collective self-defense, and the U.S. military realignment in Japan. It is important to increase movements this autumn together with a wide range of people to put brakes on Abe’s runaway policies.

Runaway policies treading the general public underfoot

The Abe government, since its inauguration, has promoted an economic policy known as Abenomics as a way to facilitate the process of raising the consumption tax rate. His economic policy is bringing benefits to only a handful of large corporations and the wealthy. In contrast, many people are being forced to pay more without any increase in income, for example, for daily necessities whose prices have risen associated with the weak yen. Abe seeks constitutional revision and to have Japan exercise the right to collective self-defense. Opposing these moves, Asian countries expressed their strong concern, and former heads of the Cabinet Legislation Bureau one after another made objections. Disagreement with Abe’s policy is emerging from many quarters.

These facts show that the LDP-style policies, which have been submissive to the financial community, large corporations, and the United States, no longer have a valid perspective and that the continuation of such policies is incompatible with the interests of the general public. It is now necessary to face up to the upcoming maladministration which Abe is going to push ahead with by taking advantage of the majority of seats obtained by the ruling coalition in both Diet chambers.

People in various fields now criticize the Abe Cabinet, driving it into the corner. The extraordinary session of the Diet will begin in October. Proactive Diet deliberations and stronger people’s movements are decisively important for putting brakes on the Abe Cabinet runaway policies, and this will open the door for a change in the LDP-style policies.

Although the Abe government is taking various approaches, such as a meeting of experts, to create a trend supportive of the planned consumption tax hike, an anti-tax hike movement has grown among people as shown in an appeal issued by a group of certified tax accountants. Many people of all strata have expressed their support for a national rally against a heavier tax to be held on September 27. More and more people are joining hands to stand up against the government’s adverse revision of social security services, including cuts in welfare benefits.

Regarding the TPP talks, the government has refused to provide information about the talks on the grounds that it signed the secrecy agreement. Reportedly, the government repeatedly made compromises in the talks. This attitude has provoked criticism even from members of the ruling party. People in various fields voiced their opposition to the TPP: primary industry groups, medical service industry groups, and municipalities together organized rallies across the nation; professors and lawyers formed their anti-TPP groups; and theater performers objected to the TPP.

As for the movement opposing the reactivation of nuclear power plants, in addition to the continuing weekly Friday night protest in front of the prime minister’s office, protest actions have taken place every Friday at various locations throughout Japan. At municipalities hosting nuclear power plants whose operators recently applied for their reactors’ reactivation, people have held rallies and protest actions. Anti-nuke groups, including the Metropolitan Coalition Against Nukes, will hold a nationwide action on October 13.

Establish national cooperation to block Abe’s runaway policies

As recent public movements gave shown, traditionally conservative organizations, such as industrial groups and local governments, are cooperating with various political groups based on common demands and are making local- and industrial-wide efforts. The Japanese Communist Party together with the National Confederation of Trade Unions (Zenroren), the National Federation of Merchant and Industrialists Organizations (Zenshoren), the National Federation of Farmers’ Movement (Nominren), the New Japan Women’s Association (Shin-fujin), and the Democratic Medical Institutions (Min-Iren) has worked hard to support this style of single issue struggle and increase the strength of people’s movements.

The need now is to achieve success in people’s movements on various issues and expand them into national coalitions in order to block the Abe government’s runaway policies.