Japan Press Weekly

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2009 May 27 - June 2 [SCANDAL]

JCP Kokuta says debate between LDP and DPJ leaders was disappointing

Prime Minister Aso Taro and the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan leader Hatoyama Yukio used their first one-on-one debate in the Diet on May 27 to blame each other over problems related to illegal donations to politicians by Nishimatsu Construction Co., Ltd. However, they did not get into the substance of the scandal or show any willingness to clean up the corruption in their parties.

Hatoyama said that after reviewing the issue of donations from Nishimatsu Construction, the DPJ decided to call for outlawing corporate donations within three years.

Aso showed reluctance to prohibit corporate donations by stating, “I don’t think it’s appropriate to jump to the step of abolishing corporate donations.”

Both Aso and Hatoyama emphasized the importance of dealing with issues from the general public’s point of view, but they discussed almost nothing concerning people’s livelihoods and jobs, which are on the edge of collapse due to destruction of the job market by major corporations and cuts in social services.

Later in the day, Japanese Communist Party Diet Policy Commission Chair Kokuta Keiji said to reporters, “Although both leaders in their debate referred to the Nishimatsu scandal, which many people are interested in, it was disappointing. They blamed each other but failed to state their willingness to establish the facts. I thought it all the more necessary for the JCP to take part in the one-on-one debate with the prime minister.”

Kokuta also said, “They didn’t sincerely discuss a lot of problems which are causing serious negative effects on people’s livelihoods and which are tied to the question of major corporations’ corporate social responsibility. People must be disappointed by the two leaders because they didn’t talk about how politics plays a role in affecting people’s livelihoods.”

Kokuta added that the Hatoyama-Aso debate brought into relief the need for the Diet to hold an intensive discussion on “corruption in politics” and major companies’ corporate social responsibility to secure employment.