Japan Press Weekly

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2020 April 1 - 7 TOP3 [POLITICS]

Compensation for loss of income essential for gov’t emergency coronavirus measures: JCP

The Japanese Communist Party on April 6 released urgent requests, including a request for loss-of-income benefits, compiled by the JCP Dietmembers’ Group in regard to the government’s anti-corona efforts. JCP Vice Chair Tamura Tomoko submitted the party’s requests to the government.

The release of the requests was made by Tamura and JCP Secretariat Head Koike Akira at a press conference held on the day in the Diet building. Tamura said that the submission was conducted in response to the government move to declare a state of emergency.

The JCP’s written demand stressed that the government, in order to make its stay-home request effective, compensate for people’s income losses. In this regard, the JCP urged the government to provide 100,000 yen in cash to all affected people. The JCP also demanded a budgetary measure to prevent the social welfare system from collapsing, an improvement in the current PCR testing system, and a reduction of the consumption tax rate to 5%.

Explaining the JCP opinion that the governmental request to stay at home should be issued in combination with a policy of providing loss-of-income benefits to affected people, Tamura cited Article 29 of the Constitution that stipulates, “Private property may be taken for public use upon just compensation therefor.” Tamura said, “The government measures to contain COVID-19 are taken for the public well-being and thus to compensate corona-affected people meets the constitutional principle.”

Regarding the JCP demand for the 100,000-yen cash benefit distribution to each affected individual, Tamura said that in order to provide the money to those who are struggling to survive the ongoing health disaster without delay, it is important to not set conditions to this measure.