Japan Press Weekly

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2007 October 3 - 9 TOP3 [POLITICS]

JCP Shii in the Diet demands drastic change in policies

Shii grilled the prime minister on the issues of the increase in poverty and social gaps, financial sources of social welfare services, and the dispatch of the Self-Defense Forces in support of U.S. wars.

Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo on October 4 used his question time in the House of Representatives plenary session to ask Prime Minister Fukuda Yasuo about his basic stance on the issue of the increase in poverty and social gaps, fiscal resources of funding for social welfare services, and the dispatch of the Self-Defense Forces in support of U.S. wars. Shii put forward the JCP proposals to resolve political impasses and demanded fundamental changes in government policies.

Eradication of terrorism

War cannot eradicate terrorism

Concerning the Maritime SDF operation to give assistance to the U.S. retaliatory war in Afghanistan, Shii demanded a serious examination based on the facts to ascertain whether the war achieved any positive outcome in solving the problem of terrorism.

A JCP statement issued following the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001, while condemning the criminal actions, stressed the need to bring terrorists to justice and warned that wars of retaliation are not the answer.

These concerns became a reality. The six-year-long “war of retaliation against terrorism” has created the serious vicious circle in which terrorism has spread throughout the world and the number of suicide bombings sharply increased in Afghanistan.

“The war of retaliation has not only been ineffective in eradicating terrorism but has worsened the situation. War cannot end terrorism. Don’t you recognize this undeniable fact?” Shii asked Fukuda.

Fukuda answered, “Afghanistan must be prevented from going back to become a hotbed for terrorism,” talking as if the country has already defeated terrorism. On the other hand, he stated, “It is necessary for us to support the nation’s reconstruction as well as strengthen security and counterterrorism measures.” However, he failed to provide any grounds showing that the war of retaliation is effective in eliminating terrorism.

MSDF refueling for bombing missions

Citing U.S. documents showing that U.S. Harrier fighter jets took part in bombings of Afghanistan after taking off from a U.S. Naval amphibious assault ship that was refueled by the MSDF supply ship, Shii asked Fukuda if the prime minister acknowledges the fact that the fuel provided by the MSDF has been used for the bombing missions that caused civilian deaths.

Fukuda in effect conceded the fact, stating, “Japan’s refueling mission in support of the U.S. forces that are engaged in the Operation Enduring Freedom is conducted in accordance with the Anti-Terrorism Special Measures Law.” He went on to state, “The countries concerned carefully take precautions to minimize damage to civilians,” avoiding facing the reality of the war.

MSDF operation violating special measures law

It was revealed that the U.S. aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk, that the MSDF had refueled, took part in the Iraq War. Shii criticized the MSDF operation for violating even the Anti-Terrorism Special Measures Law that limits the operation to supporting the war in Afghanistan. He demanded that the government submit documents proving that Japan’s fuel has never been used in the Iraq war.

The prime minister only answered that the Defense Ministry is working on confirming that.

Shii put forward a three-point proposal that Japan should responsibly carry out based on the Constitution: (i) put an end to the unconstitutional activities to assist the war of retaliation and withdraw the MSDF form the Indian Ocean, (ii) make diplomatic efforts to change the method of eradicating terrorism from retaliatory wars to U.N.-led police and judiciary activities that center on political solutions, and (iii) remove the root cause of terrorism by eradicating poverty and hunger as well as drastically strengthening activities in support of people’s livelihoods, including measures to deal with drought and access to education.

However, Fukuda made clear his position to cling to the continuation of the MSDF mission by stating, “I am not considering withdrawing of the MSDF.”

Employment: Government must regulate non-regular employment

Shii urged Fukuda to set about regulating non-regular employment to deal with increased poverty among the younger generations if the prime minister really wishes for a Japan in which “the young people have hope for the future.”

While large corporations are making record profits, workers are earning less and less. Taking measures to support those who are living in “working poor” conditions – earning less than the livelihood protection standards however hard they may work – is an urgent political task the prime minister needs to carefully pay attention to.

The government removed restrictions on staffing services in 1999 and lifted the ban on the use of temporary workers in the manufacturing industry in 2004. Since then, the number of young day laborers whom staffing agencies have registered and have been dispatching to corporations on a daily basis is rapidly increasing.

Such workers earn 6,000 to 7,000 yen a day and are unable to pay their rent if they do not receive job offers or they become sick.

Shii asked, “How can those young people, working under such condition of uncertainty, have hopes for the future?” He urged the prime minister to fundamentally review the deregulation in labor laws and take measures to eradicate staffing agency-managed day labor.

While admitting that such a labor system is unstable and has problems, Fukuda failed to put forward concrete measures, only stating that the government has begun reviewing the worker dispatching system.

In answer to Shii’s proposal to urgently conduct a survey on “working poor” conditions, Fukuda stated, “The government will be able to grasp the situation through existing statistics.”

Social welfare: Shift away austerity budget policy

“Mr. prime minister, you talked about building a Japan in which ‘the elderly people have a sense of security.’ Then, do you have the determination to change the policy of holding back welfare services expenditures?” Shii asked.

The Koizumi and Abe cabinets have imposed restraints on welfare services expenditures since FY 2002, a policy that has effectively removed many people, especially the elderly people, from protection under the social welfare system. Pointing this out, Shii pressed Fukuda for a shift in this policy.

With respect to health care services, many households that cannot afford to pay national health insurance premiums are punished by having their insurance cards invalidated and instead being provided with “insurance certificates” that require them to pay at hospitals the full amount of medical costs. This policy has prevented many patients from going to doctors, thus worsening their conditions and even leading to deaths.

Many needy people across the country are also being barred from the livelihood protection program, the last lifeline for them. Citing a series of tragedies that occurred recently in Kitakyushu City, in which three male residents that the city government had excluded from the program died from starvation or committed suicide, Shii asked if Fukuda is aware of the “unlawful practice of the local authorities administering the livelihood protection program.” Fukuda in reply stated, “The authorities should strictly refrain from not only infringing on the people’s right to apply for livelihood protection but engaging in such conduct that could be regarded as infringing on their rights.”

Fukuda stressed that he will continue the policy of restraining welfare services expenditures that underlies the exclusion of the needy from the protection, stating, “The government needs to continuously make efforts to restrain expenditures in all fields.”

How Fukuda is going to secure fiscal resources needed to bring a freeze to increases in medical costs for the elderly and to review the self-support assistance law for the disabled that he has promised in public. Fukuda stated, “In order to make the welfare services system sustainable, the government will further rationalize the benefits of welfare programs and improve their efficiency.” Shii pointed out that with this government policy, Fukuda’s promise will inevitably end up as a “stopgap whitewash” and increase burdens on the public in other social welfare programs.

Fiscal resources: tax breaks for large corporations and military spending – two major fields that need to be examined

Pointing out that the consumption tax is levied on even those who are barely able to make a living, Shii grilled Prime Minister Fukuda over his policy of seeking stable financial resources for social welfare services with an increase in the consumption tax rate.

However, without showing his basic understanding of the consumption tax, Fukuda made clear that he will stick to a consumption tax hike to secure stable fiscal resources for social welfare programs as a pretext, stating, “The government will enter into full discussion on a drastic reform of taxation, including the consumption tax, as soon as possible.”

Shii pointed to two major fields that have been untouched, the overgenerous tax breaks for large corporations and the wealthy and the military expenditure that amounts to five trillion yen a year. Stressing that a close examination of these two fields will yield financial resources that will not require consumption tax hikes, Shii demanded a radical policy change both in revenues and expenditures.

While making record-high profits in recent years, large corporations have been taxed at the same rate for the past nine years. In fact, large corporations have enjoyed massive tax breaks (a total of five trillion yen between FY 1997 and FY 2007) under the Liberal Democratic Party governments.

In addition to this, the LDP governments have reduced the taxes on the wealthy by two trillion yen.

Stressing that fiscal resources of several trillion yen will be created by properly levying taxes on large corporations and the wealthy, Shii showed the way for securing a source of funding for social welfare programs and defense of living standards of the public by changing the taxation policy.

Shii also demands a drastic review of military expenditure, stating, “First of all, military expenditure in support of U.S. wars must be slashed.” He urged the prime minister to pull the SDF units out of Afghanistan and Iraq and stop buying weapons for use in overseas operations.

Shii also demanded the abolition of the “sympathy budget” for U.S. forces in Japan, the total amount of which in the past 29 years has already exceeded five trillion yen, and the cancellation of the U.S. military realignment plan that requires Japan to pay three trillion yen, including the cost of building houses for U.S. personnel in Guam that amounts to 700 billion yen.

The prime minister attempted to justify a reduction in the effective corporate tax rate by using economic globalization as a pretext. He also defended military expenditures by stating, “These are the costs necessary for offering cooperation with the U.S., Japan’s ally, as well as the international community.”