Increase jobs to revive economy: JCP Ichida in Upper House
Japanese Communist Party Secretariat Head Ichida Tadayoshi used his question-time in the House of Councilors plenary session on September 30 to demand that the government take measures to revitalize the economy through job creation. He argued that the biggest immediate task is for the government to remove the worries over livelihood in which people are deeply caught.
In Japan, the total number of employed people declined by 330,000 in the last three years, and that the number of unemployed increased by 260,000 in the same period.
Ichida said that government measures to increase jobs and personal purchasing power are needed to stimulate economic resuscitation, including support for small- and medium-sized businesses, the shadow key players in the Japanese economy.
On the government plans to send the Self-Defense Forces to Iraq and to share the economic burden of war, Ichida demanded that the law to send the troops to Iraq be abolished and the planned war expenditure be canceled.
Referring to the arguments inside the government and the ruling parties calling for constitutional revision, Ichida demanded that maneuvers for constitutional revision be stopped. He said that Japan has the responsibility to abide by the peace and democratic principles of the Constitution and to defend peace in Asia and the rest of the world from any lawless and unjust wars.
Prime Minister Koizumi Jun'ichiro sidestepped the issue by saying that it is good to have discussions on the issue. (end)
