  Change politics so that residents' needs will be metAkahata editorial The Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election campaigning will start on June 24. Voters' verdict in the Japanese capital of Tokyo will have a major impact on national politics as well as Tokyo politics. The Japanese Communist Party has worked hard to let the public know the real issues in Tokyo Metropolitan politics to defend residents' interests and meet their needs. If the JCP secures its present 15 seats and wins extra seats in the metropolitan assembly, it will help change Tokyo politics to one that will realize residents' wishes. It will be a fierce contest in which each political party steps up its campaign as in a national parliamentary election. The JCP calls on all voters to give strong support to achieving a JCP advance. Present politics that disregards citizens interests The main issue is what policies would improve people's living conditions. Let's first look at the reality. A bill to "reform" the nursing care insurance system, now being discussed in the Diet, is a major adverse revision that will cut care services and force users to pay more. Not only the ruling Liberal Democratic and Komei parties but the opposition Democratic Party are in favor of the bill. The DPJ also declares itself "a party preparing to become a governing party, instead of being a mere opposition party," and is lined up with the LDP and Komei in pushing ahead for an adverse revision of Article 9 of the Constitution and an increase in the consumption tax to make up for the shortfall of funds for the pension program. Establishing a "two-party system" means that all political parties, except the JCP, will compete with each other for undemocratic policies they all promote. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government is a typical example of how undemocratic a two-party system is. While squandering money for wasteful large public works projects, including the development of a new water-front area, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government has cut expenditures on social welfare programs by 10 percent and those on small- and medium-sized businesses by 30 percent in the last four years. It has abolished the 55,000 yen in monthly benefits for bed-ridden elderly people, gradually cut back medical care subsidies for the elderly aming at its total abolition in the future, and abolished the free ride pass system for Tokyo's buses and metropolitan railways. The driving force behind Governor Ishihara Shintaro's administration is the LDP, Komei, DPJ, and the Tokyo Seikatsusha Network. In the ruling party bandwagon, all political parties except the JCP are praising the metropolitan government's welfare cuts, saying: "They are excellent policies" (LDP); "They are in accord with our policies" (Komei); "Benefits for the elderly people will only encourage them to become bedridden (DPJ); and "Municipalities should be responsible for providing welfare services" (Tokyo Seikatsusha Network). While rejecting residents' calls for school class-sizes to be under 30 students in public schools, they have urged the metropolitan government to punish teachers who refuse to comply with the board of education's order to sing "Kimigayo" and put up the Hinomaru flag at school ceremonies. While calling for increased burdens and for welfare services to be reduced, these parties in the metropolitan assembly have enjoyed luxurious overseas trips every year using enormous amounts of tax money. Each participant in what they call "study tours," LDP, Komei and DPJ members of the assembly received 1.48 million yen for one trip, bringing the total amount to 56.45 million yen for the last four years. How can they justify this wasteful expenditure? This is a question that has a serious and fundamental bearing on politics. The Seikatsusha Network has supported this. How can it be a defender of citizens' living standards? The JCP has been consistent in opposing such expenditures and demanding that no tax money be used for such extravagant trips. Cut wasteful expenditures and improve welfare services "Promotion of welfare services" is the core role of local governments under the Local Autonomy Law. To achieve this goal, the JCP has proposed measures to help cut unnecessary spending and redirect tax money to welfare services and protection of welfare services. They include the following measures: The maximum class-size should be 30 students. Free medical services must be made available to all children 15 and younger regardless of family income. A new monthly home care benefit of 10,000 yen should be established. The yearly fee for the senior citizens' card for free bus and metropolitan train rides should be reduced to 3,000-5,000 yen from the present 20,000 yen. The present metropolitan assistance to people between the ages of 67 and 69 in receiving medical services should be defended and improved. Enacting all these measures will require only 31 billion yen, which is only 0.5 percent of the nearly 6 trillion yen annual budget of the Tokyo Metropolitan government. Let us vote to change the nature of politics in Tokyo. A major JCP advance in the election will help remake national politics in the Japanese people's interests. - Akahata, May 24, 2005 |