| I, Naoto Kan, will form an administration capable of showing the bureaucrats who is boss and will implement the policies detailed below. |
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On October 5th, a merger convention was held by the DPJ and the Liberal Party, marking a new start for the DPJ. It is my belief that you, the ordinary citizens of Japan, should take a leading role in politics, and that the proper role of the government should be to ensure that your misfortune is kept to a minimum. We will transform the current political system, with its wasteful use of tax-payers' money, aiming to bring about a secure society and create a 'dynamic Japan'. The DPJ has produced a policy manifesto in order to demonstrate our resolve. I will do my utmost to ensure the implementation of the policies included in this document.
Naoto Kan
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Five Pledges
1.Completely abolish the "tied grants" distributed by central government within four years.
2.Ensure complete disclosure of political donations.
3.Abolish the Japan Public Highway Corporation within three years and make all motorways outside of major urban areas toll-free.
4.Reduce the number of Diet members and civil service labour costs by at least 10% within four years.
5.Cancel unnecessary public works projects, and immediately stop work on the Kawabegawa dam, the Isahaya Bay land reclamation project and the Yoshinogawa moveable dam.
Two Proposals
1.Use revenues from consumption tax to fund the basic pension and create a new pension system.
2.Reduce elementary school class size to 30 students, and reconsider the introduction of the 5-day school week.
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We promise the citizens of Japan that we will:
1.Carry out economic regeneration to create a strong economy with no unemployment.
2. End the wasteful use of taxpayers' money and realise a fair and transparent political system.
3. Create regions that have 'autonomy' and are pulsing with vitality.
4. Create a society in which women, children and the elderly can live in safety.
5. Realise a robust society that protects the lives and health of its citizens.
(See the unabridged version of the Manifesto for further details)
Economic Policy and Decentralisation
We will reconsider the use of taxpayers' money, and switch to policies that will revitalise the economy and generate new jobs and employment. Decentralisation will enable us to dramatically transform the use of taxpayers' money. We will abolish 18 trillion yen in tied grants and allow the regions to take conscious responsibility for the use of these funds.
Major Reform of Politics and the Bureaucracy, Encouragement for NPOs
We will reduce the number of Diet members, prohibit parachuting by bureaucrats, and reduce the total amount of civil service labour costs, enabling the political and bureaucratic worlds to resolve their own problems. Furthermore, it is vital for the future of Japan that we utilise the strength of NPOs to the full. We will create a framework for an NPO taxation system in order to encourage the growth of NPOs.
Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs)/Financing
We will establish 'creditworthy banks' and resolve the financing problems plaguing SMEs. Furthermore, we will reconsider the policy of simply mouthing words of encouragement to SMEs and realise a seven-fold increase in the budget allocated to SMEs/shopping centres, as well as abolishing the system whereby individuals act as guarantors for government loans.
Post Office Reform
We will consider the implementation of a new structure whereby the capital from postal savings and insurance currently frittered away by the government and the bureaucracy, will be used to assist regional economies and SMEs.
Agriculture/Environment
Agriculture is the nation's backbone. We will reduce agriculture-related grants, distributed as the 'agricultural civil engineering budget', and create a system of direct assistance and direct payment that avoids wastage. We will replant 10 million hectares of forest over the next decade, and work to capitalise on new green energy sources, such as wind power, solar power and wave power.
Protection of Citizens' Employment, Education, Pensions and Medical Care
We will support the working population by protecting part-time jobs, and initiatives such as expanding the childcare/nursing care leave systems. We will encourage those making a fresh start following unemployment or business failure, by reducing medical insurance premiums, and improving skill development and training. We will protect our nation's children by realising an educational system that tenders to the needs of each child and eliminates parental misgivings.
We will create a reliable pension system that can be trusted by both current and future generations, by using such means as transforming the basic pension into a tax-based system. We will protect our nation's elderly by constructing more group homes that will form the focal point of community nursing care. We will reduce the portion of child medical expenses borne by the individual to 10% until graduation from elementary school, require the release of medical records if requested by the patient, and increase the transparency of the consultation fee revision process.
Human Rights, Law and Order, National Security, Foreign Affairs
We will consider revising legal articles that may infringe human rights. We will take tough measures to counter crime by increasing the number of police officers to 30, 000 and creating a system of 'life sentences' without parole. We will work towards creating an independent foreign policy and strengthening the role of the United Nations, and further improve our nation's defensive capabilities. We will actively provide humanitarian and reconstruction aid to war-torn and poverty-stricken countries in areas such as medicine, education and economics.
The Constitution
We will obtain a national consensus to move the focus on this issue from 'Constitution-debating' to 'Constitution-creating', while endeavouring to respect the three basic principles of the present Constitution: 'the sovereignty of the people', 'respect for basic human rights' and 'pacifism'.
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