2009 September 30 - October 6 [
POLITICS]
JCP finance is sound in sharp contrast with other parties
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October 1, 2009
Japanese Communist Party Finance and Management Bureau Director Ueda Hitoshi on September 30 issued a statement outlining the JCP’s financial activities in connection with the political parties’ financial reports for 2008 that were made public on the same day by the Internal Affairs Ministry. Ueda’s comment is as follows:
The JCP Central Committee had a shortfall for 2008. Its total income was 24.9 billion yen, down 5.8 percent from the previous year. Its expenditure decreased by 5.3 percent from the previous year to 25.0 billion yen.
The decline in the JCP’s total income is attributed to the ongoing economic recession affecting the whole of society, causing some deficit on a single-year-basis.
Financial reports submitted to the government by political parties are a reminder of who these political parties are working for.
Only the JCP refuses to accept the government subsidy, a source of political corruption, and opposes corporate donations to political parties because they are used to buy policies in the interest of large corporations.
JCP activities depend on clean money that comes from membership dues and subscription fees for its newspaper Akahata and other publications, plus donations from individuals.
In 2008, about 86.4 percent of the JCP’s total income came from subscription fees for the newspaper Akahata and other publications, and 61.6 percent of the total expenditures were spent on publishing Akahata and party magazines.
This is a product of the JCP’s grassroots character of its sound financial activities focused on publication of the daily and Sunday Akahata. No other parties can imitate these financial efforts.
The JCP calls for a drastic change in government policy to improve people’s quality of life, specifically their employment conditions and social welfare services. It takes political courage to call for financial circles and large corporations to fulfill their social responsibility according to their ability to pay.
All these JCP activities are possible because it is consistent in demanding a ban on corporate and organizational donations to political parties, as well as the political fund subsidy system, and in implementing its financial policy in cooperation with the public.
The year 2008, after all, had no general election, though the Diet situation continued on the brink of dissolution of the House of Representatives for a general election. This is another reason why the size of the JCP’s political funds was a little bit less than the previous year’s in terms of its revenue and expenditure.
The JCP is determined to carry out its financial activities by placing its reliance on clean money from the general public. The JCP believes that this is the only honest way for a party to take and that this will enable the party to cleanse Japan’s politics of corruption.
The JCP will make further efforts to win more Akahata subscribers that will ensure further cooperation and common actions with broad sections of the public. Ensuring party activities on a greater scale is inseparable with efforts to run JCP financial activities on a sounder basis.
- Akahata, October 1, 2009
