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2014 November 26 - December 2 TOP3 [POLITICS]

Official election campaign commences

Akahata editorial (excerpt)

The election campaign for the House of Representatives officially started on December 2. The election will be held on December 14. This election will be a good chance to create a new government which better reflects public interest.

It is only the Japanese Communist Party that boldly confronts the runaway policies of the Abe government and gives direction to political reforms. Without learning from the current recession caused by the consumption tax hike in April, the Abe administration intends to raise the tax rate again to 10% in April 2017. The JCP is calling for the cancellation of the tax increase, not just its postponement. As a way to raise tax revenues, the JCP proposes to have the wealthy and large corporations bear their fair share of tax burden by introducing a progressive tax system.

The JCP proposes a five-point reform plan to counter Abenomics, to stop the move to turn Japan into a war-fighting nation, to thwart the move to restart nuclear power plants, to cancel the plan to construct a new U.S. base in Okinawa, and to put a stop to the planned consumption tax increase.

The Democratic Party of Japan, which was the ruling party at the time of the previous general election in 2012, has no reason to criticize the LDP as shown by the fact that it endorses the LDP’s plan to raise the consumption tax to 10%. Political parties, which were called “third pole” forces two years ago, have dissolved, merged with another party, or changed their names. They have supported the Abe government’s economic policies and its implementation of the collective self-defense right. The only party willing and able to confront the LDP is the JCP.

The JCP has been an advocate of peace since its foundation 92 years ago. It connects with people at the grass-roots level. Receiving no political donations from corporations, the JCP can take on the business circle.

The Lower House election system has 11 proportional representation blocks and 295 single-seat constituencies.

The need now is to work to gain a major JCP victory in the election in order to stop the runaway policies of the Abe government.