Following his questioning on behalf of the Japanese Communist Party in the House of Representatives on September 29, JCP Chair Shii Kazuo criticized Prime Minister Koizumi Jun'ichiro for dodging his questions.
Asked by the press for comments, Shii said, "I tried to ask the prime minister about his stance on key issues, including the Iraq question, people's living conditions, the consumption tax, and the Constitution. But all he did was dodge my questions."
After the televised Diet session, the JCP headquarters received many phone calls and e-mails responding favorably to Shii's speech.
A worker at a construction site wrote in his e-mail, "I was impressed by the speech because he clearly is on the side of those working at the bottom of the society."
Calling from Aichi Prefecture, a 59-year-old man said that he had lost his job because of restructuring. "The prime minister is good at tricking the citizens. Please reveal to the people that Koizumi is only working for the big banks and corporations," he said. (end)
