Japan Press Weekly

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2014 October 1 - 7 [POLITICS]

Shii: Gov’t should initiate policy shift to improve people’s lives

Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo on October 1 in an interpellation in the House of Representatives presented an urgent proposal to rebuild Japan’s economy and people’s lives.

Shii referred to the fact that household spending and Japan’s GDP have been declining sharply since the consumption tax hike in April. He also pointed out that a drop in workers’ real wages has been further worsening people’s living conditions.

Prime Minister Abe Shinzo insisted that the public will soon come to feel an economic recovery due to his economic strategy.

Shii argued that the government should give up its plan to increase the consumption tax rate from the current 8% to 10% in October 2015. He also demanded that the administration direct large corporations to use part of their enormous internal reserves in order to raise workers’ wages and provide job seekers with more opportunities to find stable jobs.

PM Abe simply replied that by the end of this year he will decide whether to further raise the sales tax rate after observing the overall economic situation.

The JCP chair urged the government to implement a drastic policy change toward improving social welfare programs as well as to make serious efforts to reconstruct the state finances through a reform to implement progressive taxation based on the principle of ability to pay.