No.1000 Social Situations in 2017 and Tasks

Peoples’ revolts have begun throughout the world: they have been socially and economically victimized by globalized capitalism. Peoples become indignant and developments are explosive due to accumulated furies. They need changes. Power for changes must go to a path to construct peace and democracy as well as to lead to stable livelihood of people.

LET’S UNITE PEOPLE AROUND YOU INTO ONE JOINT FORCE

Amid the Lehman Shock people witnessed an ugly nature of capitalist system under which even low-income people were exploited savagely for the sake of its survival. Capitals easily go over national borders in order exclusively to make money, being indifferent to their own original society and working population. Meanwhile volatile situations have been produced in which prevalence of poverty and inequality is so rampant that may induce a war.

Hopes of people are not reflected in the parliamentary democracy system though they are losers suffering from anxieties and enduring dissatisfactions. Populist leaders, taking advantage of the nervousness and frustration, invent imaginary enemies by fabricating mixture of lies and truths. Indignation of people is manipulated to direct to the invented enemies.

Let’s End ‘Stop Thinking’

A more important point is the background of trend in which discrimination and hatred are generated. People in the middle class, who have never met poverty, are uneasy in livelihood. Capitals, whose nature is to pursue the biggest profit, go beyond nation’s boundaries and the gains are not redistributed among working populations who have fallen into the depth of discomfort.

As superficial phenomena are easily manipulated, enmity is fermented against immigrant workers, who are employed with much lower wages, and nations whose export performance is excellent. Feelings rein reasons.

In Japan the Abe administration keeps to enjoy a high support rate though the world’s capitalism is chaotic. That is a wonder. Ruling politicians in Japan stop thinking: they believe in that they could maintain power only thanks to obedience to the United States. It is enough to see that Premier Abe paid a courtesy call to President-elect Trump just after his victory in the presidential election.

The Japanese government does not admit defects of a US military vehicle Osprey which has brought disastrous accidents repeatedly. Instead, it forces to build up Osprey stations in Takae, Okinawa, against protests. The Supreme Court of Japan has defended the government to construct a new US base at Henoko, disregarding the autonomy of Okinawa government and a will of residents.

In the labor sector more and more workers are employed under the irregular working conditions. Big businesses, in particular, involve in this kind of employment practice. At the moment almost 40% of workforce is of irregular workers, whose annual income is less than 2 million Yen. The number of so-called working-poor counts over 11 million people. A practice of stable employment to guarantee workers’ livelihood diminishes, while the rich escape paying taxes. A society cannot be sustainable, cannot survive. In fact, social services fall into a vicious circle of increased payments and less reliable services.

People’s Indignation must be Cristal-Clear

Nevertheless, a queer phenomenon can be seen; a high, stable support rate of the Abe government. Under this stableness, however, those who have the strongest apprehensions are those who rule politics.

Civic movements are resilient: they demand annulment of the War Legislation, abolishment of nuclear energy generation, and so on. Today mass media are controlled by the government. We, members of the New Socialist Party, face challenges. We must organize and create broader mass movements of working people around ourselves in the communities and workplaces.

The year 2017 will see dissolution of the House of Representatives and subsequent general election. We must get ready. Our readiness for struggles will produce opportunities to gain colleagues to fight in common in the same front.



January 1, 2017