‘General elections, why now?’ - a simple question of voters. Majority of the electorate are embarrassed: to which party to cast, why did the government make an abrupt decision? Though the election will be held in the abnormal way, no other election has been more important than a coming one. We must discourage Abe’s ambitions. We must struggle by all means to defend the parliamentary fortress of peace and livelihood of people.


DISCOURAGE AMBITIONS OF PREMIER ABE!


His Intention ? Amendment of Constitution


A commentary of Asahi Shimbun newspaper dated November 30 warned in the most critical way that a true intention of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) of Abe government was to revise the constitution.


It says: foreseeing July 2016’s scheduled election of the House of Councilors, the LDP is planned to finalize a bill to amend constitution which might have ‘a contingency provision’. This is a first step to initiate procedures to rewrite the supreme law. The so-called Abenomics economic revival policy is of a secondary concern to the LDP and ‘liquidation of the post-war regime’ is the primary political agendum.


Premier Abe, however, conceals his intention during the current election campaign. The LDP’s Manifest raises several policies relevant to the Constitution, but the specified items count a half of the number of that of the previous election. The party’s election doctrine is ‘Recover Economy ? This is the sole way’, replaced with the previous one, ‘Take Back Japan’.


The Abe government has postponed the planned surge of consumption tax rate until April 2017. It tries to conceal ‘recession’ by mobilizing all kinds of illicit means, emphasizing ‘boosting local economies’ and ‘promoting women’s power’. It gives a lip service, telling to ‘take a drastic step to change a status of temporary-employed workers to stable employment conditions’. The Abe government is eager to extend its life for another four years to maintain the totalitarian regime.


Opposition Parties Must Get United


Meanwhile, President Kaieda of the largest opposition party, Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), stresses failures of the Abenomics policy and demands to scrap the cabinet decision to approve the right of collective self defense. But the DPJ’s election manifesto is weak; for practical corporate tax rates, it says ‘to reduce rates, if alternative financial sources are available’. In other words a consumption tax surge might be a possible source. Mass media criticize the DPJ, saying ‘the financial sources are not clearly stated’. No concrete plan is shown of redistribution of wealth to be circulated from Big Business to people.


Can the DPJ fight the ruling LDP? The former insists on ‘opposing the government decision to approve the right of collective self defense’; will the policy work sufficiently on the LDP? It is because the latter declared that the cabinet decision means limited approval of the right during the debates on the related bills.


The DPJ’s policy ‘to maintain deterrence in compliance with the bilateral agreement with the United States on realignment of US forces in Japan’ apparently cannot overcome a construction plan of a new base in Henoko, Okinawa. As for nuclear power plants, the DPJ insists on ‘disapproval of re-operation of plants unless reliable evacuation plans are ready’. This stance is fragile. Another aspect of the DPJ to be pointed out is a fact that major election partner is the Ishin-no-to (=Restoration Party).


Many of the opposition parties are unable to confront the ruling LDP. However, a scheme for elections, ‘the LDP versus the Communist Party’, cannot work well to organize a broader, united front.


The New Socialist Party (NSP) has concluded Agreement for General Election 2014 with the Social-Democratic Party (SDP) in which the two parties will cooperate for the 2016 Upper House election scheduled in July against neo-liberal politics and amendment of Constitution and for united efforts to organize new forces to change politics.


The NSP supports the SDP, one of the nucleuses of the united front, in the proportional representation ballots to gain seats in the Diet. Simultaneously, in the constituencies the NSP support independent and opposition candidates, cooperating with local civic and labor groups. This policy will work to organize a united front of new forces from the bottoms.


The NSP appeals party members and readers of our organ to act together in order to discourage ambitions of Premier Abe.


December 9, 2014