No. 1409 Diet Session Closed without Confrontation
The 217th Ordinary Session of Diet has closed. Election will be held soon to elect lawmakers for the Upper House. Last year the general election ended with a retreat on the side of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which failed to obtain the majority, due to indignation of people against the LDP’s money politics and corruption. But the social trend toward staging a war has not yet restrained. The coming Upper House election will be challenging to the pro-Constitution bloc.
THE UPPER HOUSE ELECTION CHALLENGES WAR-RENOUNCING CONSTITUTION
The 2024 general election was staged by Premier Ishiba Shigeru, who had been just elected as the LDP’s President as well as Prime Minister, but the results showed that the ruling bloc of the LDP and the Komeito has withdrawn, being a minority coalition government.
Premier Ishiba made his policy speech at the beginning of the ordinary session of the Diet last January and commented ‘fun Japan’. His address was dull, lacking a sense of urgency. Reportedly, the premier did not want to irritate the opposition parties as his government was said to be a ‘lame duck government’ because the coalition government is obliged to be cooperative with the opponents.
Be cautious about becoming a military power!
The Ishiba administration paid the first attention to measures to cope with the issue of the ‘decline of child births and increase of the elderly’. But he has only proposed a policy in compilating the budget to ‘shift the national economy toward growth that will locomote wage increases and investments.’ Actual consequences, however, have meant to encourage the government’s financial efforts to help gigantic businesses as well as to boost military buildup, leaving people’s life behind. People get exhausted, suffering from price hikes, but the policy to reduce the consumption tax rate, which is effective to save people from difficulties, has not been projected even by the biggest opposition party, the Constitutional Democratic Party. Additionally speaking, the opposition camp must have, among others, focused on and criticized during the ordinary session the drives toward militarization and preparatory processes for a war, which spend an enormous sum of financial resources, against the government, but the lawmakers did not commit in this area.
Government reigns Science Council of Japan
A law revision was made so that the Science Council of Japan may be dissolved to transform it to be an obedient body to the government. The three parties, the LDP, the Komeito and the Ishin (=the Renovation Party) approved the amendment to be enacted. The government explains that the Council has heightened its independent status, but the law allows the state power to easily interfere in the internal affairs of the organization.
The original law was aggravated with force in spite of objections raised from researchers and experts as well as thoughtful citizens.
Mr. Sakai Manabu, Special Representative in charge from the Cabinet Office, told during the parliamentary debates on the bill: ‘the Council’s members who may repeat specific ideology and partisan doctrine will be removed by the current amendment of the law’. Mr. Sakai replied sincerely, which duly reflects the real stance of the state government.
We cannot forget the fact that the people of Japan were mobilized to WWII after the freedom of academism, ideologies, and credos had been annihilated by the Maintenance of Public Order Act and by the Special Secret Service Police.
We may see a bigger coalition government
The current coalition government has no intention to cut the consumption tax rate. It has an energy policy, but the coalition believes as if the nuclear accident had not happened. It works to make the nation be able to stage a war by allocating an extraordinary sum of tax money. Results of the coming Upper House election may lead to a bigger coalition government.
A joint struggle is necessary in order to halt a drive to the hell: common goals are no war, no military build-up and no nuclear power generation as well as fair distribution of incomes. At the same time crucial is an advance of political parties and forces which appeal peace - ‘Peace cannot be built by armed forces.’ The coming election for the House of Councilors will verify determination of the pro-Constitution camp.
第２１７通常国会が閉会し、参院選が始まる。昨年の衆院総選挙では、金権・腐敗政治への怒りが自民党を過半数割れに追い込んだが、戦争への準備は止まらない。護憲派が問われる参院選だ。
昨年秋の総選挙は総理・総裁に就任したばかりの石破茂首相が仕掛けたが、自民党は大敗、自公は少数与党に陥った。
石破首相が今年１月の通常国会の冒頭に行った施政方針演説は「楽しい日本」と緊張感もないものだったが、「死に体内閣」と言われ、予算も法案も野党の協力なくして通らず、野党を刺激したくなかったといわれる。
軍事大国の焦点化
そして、当面する政策の焦点は「少子・高齢化対策」だったが、石破政権が予算編成で掲げたのは「賃上げと投資をけん引する成長経済への移行」であった。
しかし、その実体は軍拡と巨大企業への財政投入であり、庶民を置き去りにする内容だ。庶民の生活は物価高で疲弊するばかりだが、対策に効果的な消費減税案は、野党第一党の立憲民主党からも提案されなかった。
また、野党が政権に何より問いたださなければならないことは、多額の財政を投入して突き進む軍事大国化・戦争準備の是非だが、通常国会で焦点化されることはなかった。
学術会議を支配へ
日本学術会議を解体し政権に従順な機関に変質させる法改悪が、自民、公明、日本維新の３党などの賛成多数で可決・成立した。政府は学術会議の独立性が高まると強弁したが、権力介入できる仕組みがいたるところに盛り込まれた。
学者・有識者の多く、心ある市民の反対を無視して法改悪は強行された。
坂井学内閣府特命担当相は法案審議で「特定のイデオロギーや党派的主張を繰り返す会員は今度の法案で解任できる」と正直に答弁したが、権力の本心だ。
先の大戦で軍部が治安維持法や特高によって学問・思想信条の自由を圧殺し、国民を戦争に総動員したことを忘れてはならない。
〝大連立〟も視野に
消費税減税を拒否し、原発事故はなかったことにするエネルギー政策、血税を注ぎこんで戦争ができる国家へと突き進む政府・与党。参院選の結果次第で、大連立も視野に政界再編もささやかれる。
地獄への道を阻むには不戦・非武装、脱原発、所得分配を求める共同の闘いとともに、「武力で平和は実現できない」と訴える政党・政治勢力の前進が不可欠。護憲勢力の覚悟が問われる参院選だ。
英訳版↓
No. 1409 Diet Session Closed without Confrontation
The 217th Ordinary Session of Diet has closed. Election will be held soon to elect lawmakers for the Upper House. Last year the general election ended with a retreat on the side of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which failed to obtain the majority, due to indignation of people against the LDP’s money politics and corruption. But the social trend toward staging a war has not yet restrained. The coming Upper House election will be challenging to the pro-Constitution bloc.
THE UPPER HOUSE ELECTION CHALLENGES WAR-RENOUNCING CONSTITUTION
The 2024 general election was staged by Premier Ishiba Shigeru, who had been just elected as the LDP’s President as well as Prime Minister, but the results showed that the ruling bloc of the LDP and the Komeito has withdrawn, being a minority coalition government.
Premier Ishiba made his policy speech at the beginning of the ordinary session of the Diet last January and commented ‘fun Japan’. His address was dull, lacking a sense of urgency. Reportedly, the premier did not want to irritate the opposition parties as his government was said to be a ‘lame duck government’ because the coalition government is obliged to be cooperative with the opponents.
Be cautious about becoming a military power!
The Ishiba administration paid the first attention to measures to cope with the issue of the ‘decline of child births and increase of the elderly’. But he has only proposed a policy in compilating the budget to ‘shift the national economy toward growth that will locomote wage increases and investments.’
Actual consequences, however, have meant to encourage the government’s financial efforts to help gigantic businesses as well as to boost military buildup, leaving people’s life behind. People get exhausted, suffering from price hikes, but the policy to reduce the consumption tax rate, which is effective to save people from difficulties, has not been projected even by the biggest opposition party, the Constitutional Democratic Party.
Additionally speaking, the opposition camp must have, among others, focused on and criticized during the ordinary session the drives toward militarization and preparatory processes for a war, which spend an enormous sum of financial resources, against the government, but the lawmakers did not commit in this area.
Government reigns Science Council of Japan
A law revision was made so that the Science Council of Japan may be dissolved to transform it to be an obedient body to the government. The three parties, the LDP, the Komeito and the Ishin (=the Renovation Party) approved the amendment to be enacted. The government explains that the Council has heightened its independent status, but the law allows the state power to easily interfere in the internal affairs of the organization.
The original law was aggravated with force in spite of objections raised from researchers and experts as well as thoughtful citizens.
Mr. Sakai Manabu, Special Representative in charge from the Cabinet Office, told during the parliamentary debates on the bill: ‘the Council’s members who may repeat specific ideology and partisan doctrine will be removed by the current amendment of the law’. Mr. Sakai replied sincerely, which duly reflects the real stance of the state government.
We cannot forget the fact that the people of Japan were mobilized to WWII after the freedom of academism, ideologies, and credos had been annihilated by the Maintenance of Public Order Act and by the Special Secret Service Police.
We may see a bigger coalition government
The current coalition government has no intention to cut the consumption tax rate. It has an energy policy, but the coalition believes as if the nuclear accident had not happened. It works to make the nation be able to stage a war by allocating an extraordinary sum of tax money. Results of the coming Upper House election may lead to a bigger coalition government.
A joint struggle is necessary in order to halt a drive to the hell: common goals are no war, no military build-up and no nuclear power generation as well as fair distribution of incomes. At the same time crucial is an advance of political parties and forces which appeal peace - ‘Peace cannot be built by armed forces.’ The coming election for the House of Councilors will verify determination of the pro-Constitution camp.
July 2, 2025