Ozawa and DPJ fail to confront LDP: JCP Ichida

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Ozawa and DPJ fail to confront LDP: JCP Ichida

The Democratic Party of Japan in effect appointed Ozawa Ichiro to serve a second term until September 2008 as its president on September 12, since no other candidate challenged him for the post.

Asked by reporters for comments, Japanese Communist Party Secretariat Head Ichida Tadayoshi on the same day criticized the political stance of Ozawa and the DPJ, stating, "Ozawa's assertion that they will confront Liberal Democratic Party politics sounds empty. On all major issues, including the adverse revision of the Constitution and the Fundamental Law of Education and an increase in the consumption tax rate, he has offered no alternative to the LDP policy."

Referring to Ozawa's basic policies he announced the previous day calling for narrowing the social gap, Ichida said, "His proposal in not one of opposing Koizumi's 'structural reform' policy based on the deregulation-cure-all assumption that has brought about the social gap is the first place. Instead, it competes with the LDP for a structural reform policy that leaves everything to market forces."

Ichida pointed out that Ozawa's proposal also approves of an increase in the consumption tax rate if the law prescribes that the tax be used for welfare.

Concerning the issue of constitutional revision the DPJ in its proposal stated, "U.N. resolutions will enable Japan to use force abroad," and Ozawa's latest proposal asserts that it is not unconstitutional for the Self-Defense Forces to take part in U.N. military actions.

Referring to these DPJ policy proposals, Ichida emphasized, "The DPJ completely lacks the will to oppose the adverse revision of the Constitution."

As regards the adverse revision of the Fundamental Law of Education which will become a focal point of the extraordinary Diet session, the DPJ has already submitted to the Diet a bill that is even more hawkish than that of the LDP.
- Akahata, September 13, 2006