Japan Press Weekly

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2009 November 18 - 24 [WELFARE]

DPJ accepts closure of three metropolitan children’s hospitals

Japanese Communist Party Tokyo Assembly member Oyama Tomoko demanded that the DPJ rethink its decision, as it blatantly ignores Tokyo citizens’ wishes for the children’s hospitals to be maintained and reneges on the DPJ public promise made during the assembly election campaign.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government had decided to close three metropolitan hospitals for children, but the DPJ, together with the JCP, were opposed to the metropolitan ordinance to close the hospitals. The DPJ agreed with the JCP to jointly submit a bill to the assembly to allow the continuation of the three metropolitan hospitals.

In the July election for the metropolitan assembly, DPJ candidates were elected partly because they publicly promised to keep the hospitals as they are.

A mother in the Tama district, who is working for the survival of these hospitals, said, “I voted for the DPJ because of its promise to keep the hospitals open. The physician in charge of my daughter says the closure will be disastrous. I won’t give up”.
- Akahata, November 19, 2009