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Japan Press Service Co., Ltd. is the only news agency providing information of progressive, democratic movements in Japan

FY 2006 budget approved

The Liberal Democratic and the Komei parties on March 27 used their majority in the Diet to pass the FY 2006 budget through the Diet, forcing the public to shoulder the extra cost of 2.7 trillion yen. The Japanese Communist Party, the Democratic Party of Japan, the Social Democratic Party, and the People's New Party voted against.

JCP Secretariat Head Ichida Tadayoshi at a news conference stated, "The budget passed, but in this Diet session the JCP will continue to grill the Koizumi government about important issues of national politics in cooperation with struggles of the people."

Pointing out that the failure of Koizumi's "structural reform" policy was revealed in the Diet deliberations on the draft budget, Ichida said, "The JCP proactively took up the problems of the budget that imposes further cutbacks in medical services and social security."

He stressed that the JCP also uncovered the realities of the U.S. military realignment plan, in tandem with citizens' movements, and the root cause of bid-rigging involving the Defense Facility Administration Agency.

"It is also important to note that Diet deliberations have shown the DPJ's inability to confront the LDP-Komei government policies on key national issues", Ichida said.

He said that in the e-mail fiasco, the DPJ exposed its inability to confront the government and the ruling parties, and this benefited the LDP.

In sharp contrast, he said, the JCP squarely challenged the Koizumi government in the issues of falsified quake-resistance data for buildings, the Livedoor accounting fraud, the resumption of U.S. beef imports, and the bid-rigging scandal.
- Akahata, March 28, 2006