Japan Press Weekly

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2019 July 10 - 16 [POLITICS]

With future economic benefits in mind, general contractors cozy up to LDP candidate in Upper House election

The Japan Federation of Construction Contractors (JFCC/Nikkenren), an industry organization for general contractor construction companies, has called on its 142 corporate members to participate in a supporters’ association of a Liberal Democratic Party candidate for the July 21 House of Councilors election, who is also a former Vice-Minister of Land and Infrastructure.

Akahata on July 11 learned this fact which shed light anew on the long-standing cozy ties between the LDP and the construction industry.

According to sources closed to Nikkenren, a general constructor, in response to the JFCC call, urged its employees to join the supporters’ association in question. A managerial worker in charge of this matter later checked if all employees sent their membership applications to the association.

The Prime Minister Abe-led government has allocated annually a huge budget to large-scale public works projects: 2.5 trillion yen for highway construction; about 500 billion yen for the construction of a new Shinkansen high-speed train line, the improvement of airport functions, and the development of large-scale ports and harbors; and about 200 billion yen for dam construction.

On top of this, the LDP election platform included a policy which requests the government to spend a total of seven trillion yen for public works projects in the next three years under the pretext of preventing and mitigating disasters and strengthening national resilience.

Past related article:
> Opposition parties agree to demand resignation of deputy land minister approving political favoritism [ April 4, 2019]