Japan Press Weekly

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2008 February 27 - March 4 [WELFARE]

Citizens’ groups stage protests against new medical system for the elderly

About 300 workers, farmers, and citizens in general on February 27 braved the cold weather to hold a sit-in near the Diet Building in opposition to the government budget bill for FY 2008 starting on April 1st and its related bills.

Participants chanted slogans calling for the new medical system for the elderly 75 and older due to start in April to be revoked. They also demanded that the government cancel the plan to use 59 trillion yen of tax money for the construction of unnecessary roads in the next 10 years and to redirect it to improving the living conditions.

The sit-in was called for by the People’s Movement for Cuts in Military Expenditure and Improvement of Living Conditions, Welfare, and Education, the Central Council for Promotion of Social Security, and the Central Action Committee against the Japan-US Security Treaty (Anpo-Haki).

Speaking on behalf of the organizers, National Federation of Farmers Movement (Nominren) Secretary General Sasawatari Yoshio said, “Many people, infuriated by the government’s ill treatment of the public, are demanding for political change more than ever before.”

He also said, “Large corporations should return part of their excessive profits to the public. Let us spread the grassroots movement everywhere throughout the country to put an end to the government’s aberrant policies by developing solidarity with people of all strata.”

A representative of the Japan Federation of Democratic Medical Institutions (Min’niren) said, “Our grassroots movement has successfully pressed the opposition parties to submit the draft bill to revoke the law to implement the ‘new’ medical system for the elderly. We will not stop our movement until we get it revoked."