Misgivings and frauds have come out one after another. The Abe Government is sinking in the depth of corruption. Prime Minister Abe Shinzo declared to ‘clean up corruption’. Thus, it is the government and the ruling parties that should take responsibility to convert the words in to action. Nevertheless, they exclude the opposition parties from parliamentary debates on the major bills, exerting the majority’s force. They should assume serious responsibilities.

GOVERNMENT AND RULING PARTIES ASSUME SERIOUS RESPONSIBILITIES

Debates Go, Relying on Majority

The six opposition parties – the Constitutional Democratic Party (Rikken), the Democratic Party (Minshin), the Party of Hope (Kibo), the Communist Party, the Liberal Party and the Social Democratic Party agreed on four points in order to normalize the defunct Diet session: they are (1) resignation of Minister of Finance Aso Taro, (2) summons of a witness of Mr. Yanase Tadao, former Secretary of Prime Minister, (3) public announcement during April of the investigation results over the tampered settlement documents of the Ministry of Finance, and (4) investigation of the ‘daily report’ issue of the Self Defense Forces. It is quite natural to question these points.

Surprisingly enough, however, a response of the government was a start of parliamentary debates on April 27 in the absence of the opposition parties. The ruling parties discussed the bill on the work-style reform in the plenary session of the House of Representatives.

It is the government and the ruling parties that had brought about abnormal Diet management. The evil deed does not end here: the Cabinet decided to present a bill on casino (=the Integrated Resorts bill), or a bill to allow gambling, to the Diet. It is harshly criticized as the most vicious legislation. Then the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Komeito and the Ishin, enjoying the majority votes, approved the bill to revise the Independence Support Law for Needy Persons, amendment of which enforces to use generic medicines as a rule to those recipients of life protection benefits. The bill was sent to the Upper House.

Data falsification has been found out, at first, in the very compilation process of the bill on work-style reform; the data were fabricated to advocate the discretionary labor system. The government concealed a suicide case due to overwork which had happened in the Nomura Real Estate Development Co., Ltd. These topics are most focused exactly at this moment to accuse the corrupted government. The Abe administration has repeatedly engaged in falsifications and cover-ups, whose irresponsible behavior cannot be accepted.

Crisis in Democracy

The opposition parties were forced to refuse Diet debates for two weeks from April 27 to the end of long holidays of May. Some criticize skeptically; ‘they refuse Diet debate without strategy and prospect’ (the Nihon Keizai Shimbun newspaper dated April 27). But their attitude was not a political game with the ruling bloc but a battle over the basis of democracy. This notion is necessary.

Judging from the people’s side, the suspicions and frauds we witness today are apparent deceptions of the government; public documents were systematically manipulated or covered up. Apprehensive voices are raised even from the ruling LDP. Relations between the government on one hand and the Diet and people on the other are fallen in the abnormal state.

Some people argue the behavior of opposition parties on the logical base that ‘the Diet is a place of debating’. That is true. The parliament is a place of debating and for this very reason truths must be disclosed on the tampered public documents. That is a prerequisite. A bill is a bill when it is compiled and presented through legitimate procedures.

As for the scandal over Kake School, Mr. Yanase repeatedly maintains that ‘he does not remember’, but e-mail messages are found to endorse his meetings with officials of Ehime Prefecture, according to the documents the prefecture prepared.

As for the sexual harassment case of ex-Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Finance Fukuda Jun’ichi, Minister Aso Taro told ‘he (Secretary) had become entrapped’. This is an aggressive comment that proves absence of notion on the human rights on the side of Minister. Political responsibilities are in crisis within the parliamentary cabinet system.

Minister of Defense has kept telling about absence of ‘daily report’. That provably means the Ministry covers up something. Does it want to hide activities of troops in the combat zones?

The opposition parties demand the government to give responsible replies on the issues. Without them parliament does not work. The stance is right.

May 15, 2018