Japan Press Weekly

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2014 January 22 - 28 [TOKYO]

Shii calls for reversing of Tokyo and national politics through a win in the gubernatorial race

On January 23, the day the Tokyo gubernatorial election campaign officially kicked off, Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo called for a victory of candidate Utsunomiya Kenji in order to pass judgment on policies of the Tokyo and national governments.

Attending a street speech held by the JCP-backed candidate in front of Shinjuku Station with an audience of 5,000, Shii first pointed to the need to overturn anti-people policies, which have been carried out by former Tokyo Governor Ishihara and his successor Inose for 14 years.

Shii stated that during 14-year administration under Governor Ishihara and Inose, Tokyo dropped from the second position to the 43rd position among 47 prefectures in terms of welfare per capita spending for the aged due to various service cuts such as the abolition of medical care subsidies for the elderly. The Tokyo authorities also closed three metropolitan children’s hospitals and increased the number of children on waiting lists for authorized childcare centers to more than 20,000.

The two governors, on the other hand, poured taxpayers’ money into huge public works projects like the construction of the Tokyo Outer Ring Road which uses 100 million yen in tax revenues per meter, he criticized.

Shii then called on the audience to use the election as an opportunity to deliver their verdict on the Abe government’s runaway policies which include the planned consumption tax hike to 8% in April and the attempt to reactivate offline nuclear reactors and revise the Constitution.

Stating, “As a lawyer, Utsunomiya has always worked hard to defend peace, human rights, and democracy,” Shii urged voters to vote for the former president of the Japan Federation of Bar Associations.

Utsunomiya in his speech promised to use Tokyo as a base to create a nation without nuclear power plants. He also pledged to make the 2020 Tokyo Olympics compact and eco-friendly. He also seeks for the Summer Games to contribute to peace, friendship, and improvement of relations with Asian countries. Regarding former Governor Inose’s money scandal, he said he will insist on conducting a thorough investigation.

Leaders of political parties supportive of Utsunomiya also took part in the street speech.