On the afternoon of October 29, the DPJ's Next Cabinet met inside the Diet for a thorough debate over issues including the government's proposed revision to the Law for Strengthening Financial Systems and the DPJ's own proposed economic stimulus measures. The Next Cabinet agreed on the need to create an economy led by domestic demand through the implementation of policies long advocated by the DPJ.

Next Minister of Finance Masaharu Nakagawa confirmed the points of discussion, problematic issues and the DPJ's basic stance over the government's bill to partially revise the "law on special measures for strengthening financial systems and special measures law related to the promotion of the reorganization of financial institutions and other organs (The Law for Strengthening Financial Systems)". He pointed out that if the government wished to inject taxpayers' money into certain private-sector corporations then public understanding would be indispensable, and he raised some issues with the proposals from that perspective. Based on that awareness, the Next Cabinet agreed to begin discussions with the ruling coalition on amending the Bill.

Next Chief Cabinet Secretary Masayuki Naoshima (DPJ Policy Research Committee Chair) then spoke on the DPJ's policies on dealing with the economic and financial crisis before Next Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Teruhiko Mashiko explained the DPJ's plans for additional economic stimulus measures. Naoshima emphasized the need, with the global economy facing financial crisis, to modify Japan's export-dependent economic structures and revert to an economy led by domestic demand. He stated that policies long advocated by the DPJ including new child allowance payments, the abolition of provisional tax rates on gasoline and other products used entirely to fund roads and the abolition of tolls for expressways (freeways) would be truly effective economic stimulus measures. Mashiko said that the DPJ's plans were based on the 3 pillars of (1) protecting small and medium-sized businesses, (2) protecting people's livelihoods and (3) protecting the environment, and were therefore comprehensive policies that differed from the government and ruling coalition's stopgap measures. The Next Cabinet agreed to continue to analyze the above issues and form conclusions at their next meeting.

Issues concerning the Bill to Revise the Law for Strengthening Financial Systems
http://www.dpj.or.jp/english/financial/f_systems.html