3-party cooperation key to successful Diet business
To make indecisive politics decisive, it is vital for the Democratic Party of Japan, the Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito to uphold their agreement on the integrated reform of social security and tax systems and extend their relationship of trust.
Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and LDP President Sadakazu Tanigaki faced off at the House of Representatives Budget Committee Monday. Referring to many DPJ lawmakers voting against the reform bills in a recent lower house plenary session in defiance of the party leadership, Tanigaki criticized the DPJ by saying the rebellious action "undermines the relationship of trust among the three parties."
Noda said, "I deeply apologize over the matter as DPJ president."
The prime minister also stressed, "I'd like to fulfill my responsibility by making utmost efforts in House of Councillors deliberations to pass the bills in line with the three-party agreement."
Despite the mass defection by former DPJ President Ichiro Ozawa and his followers, the party avoided becoming a minority ruling party in the lower house. But there are potential defectors within the party who indicated they may join hands with a new party to be led by Ozawa. This makes it more difficult for Noda to steer his government.
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Build relationship of trust
Passage of the integrated reform bills and other important bills will not be possible without the cooperation of the DPJ, the LDP and Komeito. Noda and the DPJ leadership must work toward building and maintaining the relationship of confidence with the two opposition parties.
Tanigaki lambasted the government over the consumption tax hike and its shelving of a promised system to guarantee minimum pension benefits, saying it "runs counter to the [DPJ's own] manifesto." The LDP leader also called for the lower house to be dissolved for a general election after the reform bills clear the Diet.
Noda countered that none of the parties had withdrawn their specific policies--including the DPJ's aim to introduce a minimum pension system--in hammering out the three-party accord.
He rejected the idea of early dissolution of the lower house, saying, "I'd like to seek the people's confidence in the administration after accomplishing what should be done, including the integrated reform."
Because dissolving the lower house was not a condition of the three-party accord, which was worked out while shelving difficult issues such as the minimum pension plan, Tanigaki's demands lack persuasive power.
If Tanigaki sticks to criticizing the government over violation of the manifesto, he will fall into his own trap by appearing to make adherence to manifestos a top priority.
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Passage of bond bill crucial
As an example of "what should be done" before dissolving the lower house, Noda cited legislation of a special bill on the issuance of deficit-covering government bonds.
Finance Minister Jun Azumi said unless the special bill is passed in the current session of the Diet, the government will run short of fiscal resources for the national budget before the end of October.
Even if the LDP returns to power, the party will also find it difficult to deal with the special bill on issuance of deficit-financing government bonds because a divided Diet, with different parties controlling the two houses, is almost certain to persist.
The LDP must cooperate in the passage of the special bill without taking fiscal resources "hostage."
Other urgent tasks facing the extended Diet session are the correction of the disparity of the value of votes in lower house elections and passage of bills related to the introduction of a common ID number system for social security and tax programs. We hope the current Diet session will bring about fruitful results.
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, July 10, 2012)
(Jul. 11, 2012)
Central, Tokyo govts should get in tune over Senkaku Islands
The inability of the central and Tokyo metropolitan governments to get on the same page will be only to China's advantage. They need to closely cooperate on the Senkaku Islands issue.
The central government has finally made a concrete move to put the Senkaku Islands under state control.
Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda has admitted that the government is holding talks with the metropolitan government and the owner of three islands in the five-islet chain. "From the viewpoint of peacefully and stably maintaining and managing [the islands], we've been in contact [with the metropolitan government and others] at various levels," Noda said to the House of Representatives Budget Committee on Monday.
The central government's aspirations of putting the Senkaku Islands under state control will advance efforts to better maintain the territorial integrity and effective control of the islands.
The government currently leases the three islands, including Uotsurijima, from the owner and bans people other than government officials from landing on them. However, under individual ownership, through which the islands could be sold to or inherited by a third person, the future of the islands could be unstable.
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China's claim unwarranted
Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara has built up a relationship of trust with the islands' owner. Donations to the Tokyo government to purchase the three islands have topped 1.3 billion yen.
Given the recent developments, various options are on the table, including having the metropolitan government buy the three islands and then immediately transfer them to the central government.
Ishihara has expressed distrust of the government's plan to purchase the islands, saying the Noda administration is trying "to gain popularity" and deriding it as "abrupt." However, now is not the time for the central and metropolitan governments to be out of step.
It is essential that the islands be surely placed under state control, regardless of how this is done. The central and metropolitan governments must speed up necessary arrangements to make this happen.
The Japanese government's plan to place the islands under state control prompted Beijing to issue a statement saying, "No one will ever be permitted to buy and sell China's sacred territory."
However, it was only in 1971--after the existence of oil reserves was confirmed near the Senkaku Islands--that China started to claim sovereignty over them.
Japan has been in effective control of the islands since it incorporated them into its territory based on international law in 1895. It is unreasonable of China, which effectively gave tacit approval to Japan's control of the Senkakus, to belatedly claim sovereignty over them.
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Strengthen JCG
Chinese fishery patrol boats approach waters around the Senkaku Islands almost monthly and repeatedly make their presence felt.
Earlier this month, Taiwan patrol vessels and a leisure fishing boat briefly intruded into Japanese territorial waters.
These provocations will only undermine Japan-China and Japan-Taiwan relations. We strongly urge Beijing and Taipei to exercise self-restraint.
Even if the government puts the Senkaku Islands under state control in the future, this in itself will not be able to prevent intrusions and other illegal acts.
It will be necessary to enable Japan Coast Guard officers to apprehend foreign nationals who illegally land on the Senkaku Islands. To do so, the Diet should quickly deliberate a bill to revise the Japan Coast Guard Law.
Also, the JCG must be strengthened in terms of manpower and the quality of its equipment, through such measures as deploying a large patrol vessel that will enable long-term monitoring of waters around the Senkaku Islands and increasing the number of JCG officers.
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, July 10, 2012)
(Jul. 11, 2012)
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