 Business circle gives LDP no 'A-ratings' in 'report card' The Japan Business Federation (JBF or Nippon Keidanren) has shown its dissatisfaction with the performance of the two major parties. The JBF chaired by Okuda Hiroshi, president of Toyota Motor Corp., on September 22 published its second "report card" on the ratings of political parties. (For details of the 'Report Card', see page 15.) The JBF gave no "A-ratings" to the ruling Liberal Democratic Party concerning policy priorities set by the JBF. For the largest opposition Democratic Party of Japan, it gave "no ratings" on the grounds that it fell short of completing any of these priorities. Using political donations as a lever, the JBF has put pressure on the two parties to accelerate "structural reform". In an effort to establish a "two major party system" under business circle leadership, since the first "report card" issued in January 2004 the JBF has given the two parties ratings on an A-to-E scale to see how much contribution the two parties made to large corporations and the business world. For example, the JBF calls for commerce, investment, and economic cooperation to be promoted in quick response to the intensifying global competition; corporate taxes to be reduced; corporate social-security burdens to be shifted onto people; and international competitiveness of industries to be reinforced. The Japanese Communist Party is excluded from the "report card" because it refuses to accept political donations from corporations and organizations. (end)
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