The New Socialist Party (NSP) will hold a party congress on February 23 and 24 this year, which is the 24^th National Convention. It has passed 24 years since the foundation during which all party members have been devoted in political struggles under severe circumstances. Mass movements to seek for peace, secure the human rights, and defend and develop the people’s sovereign right face a turning point in which we should convert the current defensive posture to an offensive one.

LET’S FIGHT JOINTLY FOR COMPREHENSIBLE POLICIES!

The coming congress has two tasks; the first is to confirm determination among all party members to win victory in the April local elections and in the July elections for the House of Councilors so that the constitution-amendment forces should not maintain the 2/3 majority of the parliamentary seats in the said House. Our struggles will lead to thwarting the scheduled surge in the consumption tax rate in October and to halting the undergoing construction jobs to build a new military base at Henoko, Okinawa.

Let’s recover democracy!

Almost all the municipality assemblies across the country are occupied by the conservatives, or members of the ruling parties. The same is true for mayors and governors. It is necessary to break through these obstacles as municipalities are the closest administrative body to inhabitants. To democratize local politics and enhance citizens’ active participation are major foundation to change state level politics.

The Abe government commits in every attempt to justify the surge of consumption tax rate. It is keen to economic performance as it characterizes itself as economy-first. The current administration learns a lot from history, including defeats in the elections of the incumbent governments in relation with boosting the consumption tax rate.

If the Abe government loses in the elections, its main mission of constitution amendment will fail. Its foundation will be more vulnerable. They are well aware of the facts. Under these circumstances, simultaneous elections for both of the Houses might be declared if prime minister should dissolve the House of Representatives. Opposition forces must, at least, prepare for such a government’s option.

The NSP maintains a strategy of ‘a federation of political parties’ in the proportional representation track of the House of Councilors. In the elections of constituencies the party fields candidates jointly supported by the opposition forces, in particular, in the constituencies of a single representative. The NSP has a policy to reduce seats of the constitution-amendment lawmakers who currently occupy 2/3 in the House of Councilors. Simultaneously we make accelerated joint efforts together with the opposition forces and civic groups to run candidates for the House of Representative elections.

We must not leave the poor behind

The second task is to provide with policies to solve social gaps and poverty prevailing around us.

Irregular workers and pensioners are exposed to crisis in survival. This is a reality that many of our party members have never experienced. Students are obliged to work, sacrificing time for study. Young workers are severely debt-ridden as they have had students’ loans during school days. Regular workers, too, suffer from competitions and harsh control at the workplaces as well as a practice of long working hours.

Obviously wages for workers must satisfy a cost of reproduction of labor power. Irregular workers, however, cannot gain such a level of wages. They cannot afford to get married – a reality extending broadly in the society. They are left behind in the society where a rule of self-responsibility is dominant.

Let’s win sympathy and fight together!

Consequently, young people do not, or, cannot, expect good things in political parties and politics. Workers represent the majority of the society, but they are excluded from politics. Under the circumstance those who succeed in the elections are the rich and their clubs, which constitute the minority.

The NSP fights for the working population in order to recover democracy which has been jeopardized. The Japanese society is characterized by an expression, ‘a hell below the floor board’. People’s anxieties must be removed. The NSP stages struggles to enhance party’s organizational power and to set up a joint front of opposition forces, proposing policies on social security and fair taxation.

January 29, 2019