ID :
20572
Mon, 09/22/2008 - 11:48
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/20572
The shortlink copeid
DPJ to enhance safety nets, reform tax after taking power: Ozawa
TOKYO, Sept. 21 Kyodo - Main opposition Democratic Party of Japan President Ichiro Ozawa said Sunday he will stake his political career on taking power at the next general election as he unveiled his policy platform featuring enhancing social safety nets and
drastically reforming the use of tax revenues.
''I will stake my political life on this fight and devote everything to
creating a new life for the people,'' Ozawa, 66, said after his reelection as
DPJ chief for another two-year term was endorsed at an extraordinary party
convention in Tokyo.
Ozawa, who was assured of reelection for a third term Sept. 8 after no one else
filed candidacy, also said he will retain the DPJ's current executives,
including Acting President Naoto Kan and Secretary General Yukio Hatoyama,
because the House of Representatives general election appears to be ''close at
hand.''
At a press conference after the convention, Ozawa reiterated his eagerness to
assume the premiership by guiding his party to victory in the election, as he
did in last year's House of Councillors election.
''If we continue to leave unfair disparities (in society), the economy will in
due course become dysfunctional and Japanese society will collapse,'' Ozawa
told hundreds of colleagues at the convention. ''We must terminate the
administration of the Liberal Democratic Party and the New Komeito party as
early as possible for the people.''
He also stressed the need to reform Japan's bureaucrat-led governing system and
to create a ''sensitive Japanese-style safety net'' based on the basic policy
proposals he announced when filing for candidacy.
The proposals will serve as the basis for the party's manifesto in the next
general election.
In the proposals, Ozawa said his administration will act according to the
principle of putting ''people's lives first'' by creating a ''trustworthy
pension system'' in the wake of revelations regarding mismanagement by the
state pension agency.
Ozawa will also unify pension programs into a single scheme and use tax
revenues to finance minimum guaranteed amounts of pension payments, establish a
system to ensure stable incomes for farmers and the fishing industry, and
provide child-rearing allowances.
At the convention, Ozawa said he will include a rough time schedule for the
policies he plans to implement in the party manifesto to be compiled by the end
of the month.
Apparently in response to criticism that it remains unclear how the funds
necessary to realize his proposals will be generated, Ozawa said, ''By
reforming the governing system, I think we can fully secure the financial
resources for creating the safety net.''
He also said a fundamental change in the use of tax money will be needed,
noting that the current financial structure is ''reproducing'' wasteful
expenditure.
As for financial resources, Ozawa said he will allocate 22 trillion yen from
the state coffers to realize major policies.
The vagueness over funding has been attacked by LDP lawmakers running in the
LDP presidential election to pick a successor for outgoing Prime Minister Yasuo
Fukuda. They have also criticized the discord often seen in the DPJ over
security policies.
Ozawa denied the possibility of cooperating with the New Komeito party,
currently the LDP's junior coalition partner, in the event that the DPJ takes
power.
Ozawa's new presidential term will run through September 2010.
But Ozawa has not seen a smooth start to his new term, with an idea to realize
an early merger with the minor opposition People's New Party, which is backed
by a key vote-gathering association, recently ending in failure due to legal
complications.
No general election needs to be held until the current terms of members of the
lower house expire in September 2009. But the ruling coalition of the LDP and
the New Komeito party is eyeing an early election to take advantage of any
boost in public support for an administration under a newly elected leader.
The election will be a crucial one, with the ruling parties fearful of losing
their overwhelming majority in the lower house and of falling from power if
they are defeated by the DPJ-led opposition bloc, which already controls the
upper house.
==Kyodo
drastically reforming the use of tax revenues.
''I will stake my political life on this fight and devote everything to
creating a new life for the people,'' Ozawa, 66, said after his reelection as
DPJ chief for another two-year term was endorsed at an extraordinary party
convention in Tokyo.
Ozawa, who was assured of reelection for a third term Sept. 8 after no one else
filed candidacy, also said he will retain the DPJ's current executives,
including Acting President Naoto Kan and Secretary General Yukio Hatoyama,
because the House of Representatives general election appears to be ''close at
hand.''
At a press conference after the convention, Ozawa reiterated his eagerness to
assume the premiership by guiding his party to victory in the election, as he
did in last year's House of Councillors election.
''If we continue to leave unfair disparities (in society), the economy will in
due course become dysfunctional and Japanese society will collapse,'' Ozawa
told hundreds of colleagues at the convention. ''We must terminate the
administration of the Liberal Democratic Party and the New Komeito party as
early as possible for the people.''
He also stressed the need to reform Japan's bureaucrat-led governing system and
to create a ''sensitive Japanese-style safety net'' based on the basic policy
proposals he announced when filing for candidacy.
The proposals will serve as the basis for the party's manifesto in the next
general election.
In the proposals, Ozawa said his administration will act according to the
principle of putting ''people's lives first'' by creating a ''trustworthy
pension system'' in the wake of revelations regarding mismanagement by the
state pension agency.
Ozawa will also unify pension programs into a single scheme and use tax
revenues to finance minimum guaranteed amounts of pension payments, establish a
system to ensure stable incomes for farmers and the fishing industry, and
provide child-rearing allowances.
At the convention, Ozawa said he will include a rough time schedule for the
policies he plans to implement in the party manifesto to be compiled by the end
of the month.
Apparently in response to criticism that it remains unclear how the funds
necessary to realize his proposals will be generated, Ozawa said, ''By
reforming the governing system, I think we can fully secure the financial
resources for creating the safety net.''
He also said a fundamental change in the use of tax money will be needed,
noting that the current financial structure is ''reproducing'' wasteful
expenditure.
As for financial resources, Ozawa said he will allocate 22 trillion yen from
the state coffers to realize major policies.
The vagueness over funding has been attacked by LDP lawmakers running in the
LDP presidential election to pick a successor for outgoing Prime Minister Yasuo
Fukuda. They have also criticized the discord often seen in the DPJ over
security policies.
Ozawa denied the possibility of cooperating with the New Komeito party,
currently the LDP's junior coalition partner, in the event that the DPJ takes
power.
Ozawa's new presidential term will run through September 2010.
But Ozawa has not seen a smooth start to his new term, with an idea to realize
an early merger with the minor opposition People's New Party, which is backed
by a key vote-gathering association, recently ending in failure due to legal
complications.
No general election needs to be held until the current terms of members of the
lower house expire in September 2009. But the ruling coalition of the LDP and
the New Komeito party is eyeing an early election to take advantage of any
boost in public support for an administration under a newly elected leader.
The election will be a crucial one, with the ruling parties fearful of losing
their overwhelming majority in the lower house and of falling from power if
they are defeated by the DPJ-led opposition bloc, which already controls the
upper house.
==Kyodo
