| 11 September 2006 |
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Ichiro Ozawa
Member of the House of Representatives |
| In order to preserve our national virtues by revolutionising the structure of Japan, and to realise a "fair nation" both domestically and internationally, we will take power at an early stage and implement the six reforms listed below. |
| I. Start "Nation-building" with "People-building" |
1. Enact a Japanese Education Basic Law
In order to fundamentally change the current situation, which can be described as "the devastation of education", we will enact a "Japanese Education Basic Law" in place of the current education basic law, and construct an education system that clarifies the final responsibility borne by central government and the role of local authorities. |
2. Give central government final responsibility for compulsory education
Create a system in which central government should bear final responsibility for compulsory education, while local authorities can freely add their own creative touches.
Revise the current education board system, which does not clarify where responsibility lies, and create a system under which each local authority determines the content of education in their jurisdiction and which is managed democratically under the authority of each local governor. The state will bear the responsibility for ensuring teachers are qualified, receive respect for their position, and receive appropriate remunerations. |
3. Lengthen the period of compulsory education and unify child-rearing systems
We will make education compulsory until high school graduation, and realise unified junior and senior high school education.
Furthermore, we will lower the school age to five years of age and promote the free provision of pre-school education. We will totally unify the various child-rearing systems such as kindergartens and nurseries. |
4. Ensure all citizens have access to higher education
We will implement a dramatic expansion of the scholarship system so that all Japanese people can have access to higher education that responds to their wishes and abilities, regardless of the environment into which they were born. |
5. Implement study of social rules
We will undertake a review of the 5-day school week, and through the combined efforts of teachers, parents, pupils and preschoolers, local residents and a variety of organisations and corporations, make each Saturday a day on which children can learn about society and acquire culture and social rules through sports, volunteer activities, and the continuation of traditional culture. |
| II. Create Structures to Eliminate Inequalities and Enable People to Help Each Other |
1. Establish child allowance and parent allowance
In order to rejuvenate the family, which is the basic unit of society, we will introduce a system that will support parents and children, and create a "child allowance" and a "parent allowance" for households which incorporate dependent parents. Furthermore, we will raise the amount of public pension exemption for recipients of state pensions in order to create a balance in the benefits received by younger and older generations. |
2. Employment safety net
The unfettered increase in irregular employment is inviting the bipolarization and destabilization of society. Therefore, we will promote the conversion from irregular to regular employment for those who desire it, and establish the principle of "equal pay for equal work" for wage earners.
We will reevaluate the Japanese-style employment system centred around life-time employment, recognizing it as an appropriate employment safety net for our nation, and make long-term stable employment the basis of employment law. While introducing a framework of totally free competition for management-level posts in both public and private sectors, we will make life-time employment a rule for workers in non-management positions.
We will create a framework that will encourage the re-employment of those who have left their jobs to carry out child-rearing or care-giving. In particular, we will promote the return to the workplace of women (also men) whose child-rearing duties have reached a hiatus. |
3. Unify the pension system
In order to rebuild and maintain the universal national pension system, now in a state of crisis, we will unify all of the various pension schemes including Diet members' pensions. We will standardize pensions into a two-tier pension system, consisting of a basic pension, funded from consumption tax revenues, of approximately 60 000 yen per person per month, and an income comparative pension. Through this we will maintain pension payments at current levels, while also maintaining pension contributions at the current rate. Furthermore, those who fail to pay contributions and those in high income brackets will not receive part or all of their pension. |
4. Establish medical and nursing care security and "lifelong employment"
We will carry out thorough medical reforms, and create a system in which people can receive the most appropriate medical care in any region. Furthermore, we will put a stop to the increase in the amount of nursing care fees borne by the individual and expand public support.
The most important thing for seniors is that they can enjoy healthy and fulfilling lives. From this perspective, we will improve the framework for re-employment following retirement, and guarantee "life-long employment" for those who wish to work. As a result of such policies we will be able to reduce the medical costs for seniors and achieve a breakthrough in medical problems facing seniors. |
5. Transform consumption tax in a welfare-orientated tax
We will transform consumption tax into a welfare-orientated tax, and employ all revenues from this tax as funding for social security related costs. Through this process we will establish a fair and stable social security system, as well as reforming the system to clarify the tax burden and use of tax payers' money to the public. |
6. Limit payments to those in high income brackets
From the viewpoint of social justice, the payment of pensions, medical fees, nursing care fees and various allowances such as the "child allowance" to those in high income brackets will be limited.
Furthermore, from the same perspective, taxation of income gained from investments, such as trading in shares, will be increased until it reaches an appropriate level. |
| III. Ensuring the Public Safety and Security by First Ensuring Food Security |
1. Ensure food safety
In order to ensure food safety and security, we will expand the food traceability system and make it comprehensive. Furthermore, we will make it compulsory to display the region of origin, including on processed food products. |
2. Aim for total food self-sufficiency
We will establish a food self-sufficiency system in which the minimum amount of calories necessary for the public to live healthily can be grown domestically, without having to rely on overseas imports. |
3. Strengthen rural communities so they can make a living even through small-scale production
The policies of the LDP administration that simply call for production efficiency and have abandoned small-scale farmers, are inviting the destruction of rural communities and the devastation of our traditional culture. Therefore, we will implement a comprehensive policy to revive rural communities so that they can make a living through the small-scale production methods they have employed up until now. As part of this plan, we will utilise the power of seniors, and also increase employment opportunities by realising total decentralisation so that young people can also establish themselves in the regions. |
4. Establish an individual (household) income support system [for farmers]
While promoting free trade negotiations through the World Trade Organisation and the signing of free trade agreements (FTAs) with various countries, we will maintain and expand the domestic production of agricultural products. To achieve this, we will create an "individual income support system" for key agricultural products in which the state pays individual farmers the difference between production costs and the market price. |
5. Facilitate the spread of the spirit of "mottai nai" ["What a waste!"]
While our country imports 60% of its food, the equivalent of one quarter of this amount in calories is thrown away. By simply halving this waste, we can increase food self-sufficiency by 5%, and this will also lead to a large decrease in the amount of rubbish.
Therefore, we will implement a national "Food Leftover Elimination Campaign" and dispense with our infamous reputation as "the Kingdom of Leftovers". |
1. Establish a decentralised state
We will undertake sweeping revision of the centralized system of government in place since the Meiji Period and establish a "decentralised state". We will revise the system so that the role of central government will be limited to diplomacy, defence, crisis management, law and order, basic social services, basic education, food self-sufficiency, food safety, ensuring energy supplies, currency, and large-scale projects taking place on a national level, and the remainder of administration tasks will all be undertaken by local authorities.
We will totally abolish individual subsidies granted by central government and give this revenue as a single lump sum subsidy to local authorities to be used as autonomous revenue. In this way we will create genuine local authorities and in addition greatly decrease personnel costs and economic costs relating to subsidies for both central and local government, in the process restoring public finances to health. |
2. Sweep away lobby politics and concession politics by abolishing subsidies
The existence of subsidies has given control to the bureaucracy, as well as reducing Diet members simply to acting as a conduit between the regions and bureaucratic organisations. Furthermore, that relationship has become the breeding ground for a whole variety of vested interests. Therefore, we will alter the system to one in which the authority and resources for regional affairs are entrusted to the regions, and enable both Diet members and central government bureaucrats to dedicate themselves to their real work, that of national affairs. |
3. Consolidate basic local authorities
We will group all of the nation?不 local authorities into around 300 basic local authorities that will form the nucleus of our "decentralised nation". In the future we will aim to separate off prefectural governments from local authorities and to finally create a two-tier structure of central government and basic local authorities. |
4. Invigorate regional economies
We will realise total decentralisation, and by transferring powers and resources to the regions, promote the establishment in the regions of corporations and human resources from the financial, cultural, educational and other fields, as well as working to revitalise regional economies and increasing the vitality of small and medium sized enterprises and micro firms. In particular, we will revise the system of tax breaks and regional funds to promote research and development in local small and medium sized enterprises and the practical application of traditional culture and techniques from the regions in modern society. |
5. Abolish or privatise special corporations
As a rule, we will abolish or privatise all special corporations, independently administered corporations and public service corporations that are in fact extra-departmental bodies of various government ministries. In connection with this we will abolish the special accounts relating to such organisations. At present, we will allow those organisations considered essential to continue operation for a limited number of years. |
6. Create sustained economic growth and strengthen public finances
In addition to realising substantial reductions in public expenditure through the total abolition of individual subsidies and the abolition or privatisation of special corporations and the like, central government will also withdraw from projects that should under normal circumstances be carried out by the private sector, and by expanding the private sector we will bring about a further increase in economic activity. In this way we will place the Japanese economy on the path toward sustained growth and increase tax revenues, thereby speeding up the return of public finances to health. |
1. Establish a genuine Japan-US alliance
We will construct a mutual relationship of trust between Japan and the United States and establish a genuine alliance of equals between Japan and the US. To this end, Japan will construct her own diplomatic strategy, and we will make our national position clear. Furthermore, Japan should undertake a division of roles with the United States at an international level and actively fulfill the responsibility for her designated role. Furthermore, in order to promote the establishment of a genuine Japan-US alliance, we will sign an FTA with the United States at the earliest opportunity and promote the liberalization of a variety of sectors. |
2. Strengthen Asian diplomacy
As a member of Asia, we will make every effort to construct a relationship of trust with Asia nations, beginning with China and South Korea, and strengthen our alliance with the countries of Asia within the larger international community. In particular, we will establish a regional cooperation framework within the Asian-Pacific to deal with energy and trade issues. |
3. Initiate liberalization of trade and investment
As well as promoting discussions relating to the liberalization of trade and investment through the WTO, we will actively promote the signing of free trade agreements with a variety of countries around the world and in particular Asian-Pacific nations. With a view to achieving this, we will create an environment in which our nation can exercise leadership internationally in the area of trade by thoroughly reviewing agricultural policy. |
4. Carry out a comprehensive review of Official Development Aid (ODA)
We will carry out a comprehensive review of ODA and provide focused assistance to preserve the natural environment and improve living conditions in the recipient countries. This will be a breakthrough that will enable us to build Japan?不 position as a world leader in preserving the global environment. |
5. Limit the exercise of the right of self defense to an exclusively defensive stance
Based on the philosophy of the Japanese Constitution, we will play an active role in preserving the peace of Japan and the world. In accordance with Article 9, the right to self defence, whether individual or collective, will only be exercised if our nation is faced with an imminent and unlawful infringement. We will not engage in the use of force in any other case. |
6. Participate actively in United Nations peace operations
We will participate actively in UN-centred peace operations, in response to requests from the UN. UN peace operations, even participation in forcible measures in accordance with Articles 41 and 42 of the UN charter, are of a totally different nature from the exercise of the right to self-defence by a sovereign state and therefore do not infringe article 9 of the Japanese Constitution, but rather agree with the philosophy of the Constitution, which calls for Japan to play an active role in the international community. |
| VI. Return Politics to the Hands of the People |
1. Limit participation in Diet debate to Diet members
We will transform the Diet into a forum where Diet members, as the representatives of our sovereigns, the Japanese people, hold discussions and deliberations, and will not permit bureaucrats to participate in Diet deliberations. Only Diet members will attend meetings of committees in both Houses of the Diet, and hearing opinions and collecting materials from central government bureaucrats and private individuals will take place in subcommittees established under the relevant committees. |
2. Strengthen the functions of Senior Vice Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries
We will revise the system so that the posts of Senior Vice Minister and Parliamentary Secretary, held by Diet members, can play a systematic and substantial role within the Cabinet Office. For example, we will abolish the Administrative Vice Ministers Council and carry out government coordination through the Senior Vice Ministers Council. |
3. Establish a crisis management structure
We will create a system to respond comprehensively and immediately to states of emergency such as the invasion of our country, large-scale acts of terrorism, large-scale natural disasters, energy crises, financial crises and the like, and establish a peacetime crisis management system centred around the Prime Minister. |
4. Correct defects in the legal system
Since there are serious defects in the legal system from the Constitution on down that affect the very core of our national lifestyle, starting with the lack of provision for states of emergency in the Japanese Constitution, we will carry out speedy amendments of these defects, in order for example to avoid "extra-legal measures" which are not based on the Constitution or current law. |
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