Japan Press Weekly

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2008 February 27 - March 4 [WELFARE]

Opposition parties together submit bill to revoke adverse medical-care system for elderly

Four opposition parties on February 28 together submitted to the House of Representatives a bill calling for the adversely revised medical-care system for the elderly aged 75 and older to be revoked. The new system is set to start in April.

It is the first time since the 2007 House of Councilors election that the Japanese Communist Party, the Democratic Party of Japan, the Social Democratic Party, and the People’s New Party jointly submitted a bill in the House of Representatives.

The new system will allow discriminative medical treatment to the elderly aged 75 and older. Using their force of numbers, the ruling Liberal Democratic and Komei parties forced the enactment of this measure that adversely revises the medical care law.

As of February 21, 512 local assemblies have adopted resolutions calling for the system to be revoked or reconsidered.

JCP member of the House of Representatives Takahashi Chizuko said, “We call on as many people as possible to raise their voices to get the adversely revised system revoked.”