ニュース 2014/03/24 Kaieda holds regular press conference On March 24, DPJ President Banri Kaieda held his regular press conference at party headquarters. He commented on (1) the party’s approach toward the second half of the Diet session, and (2) a DPJ delegation to China. Kaieda commented on the fact that the budget for fiscal 2014 had been approved by the House of Councillors on March 20, saying, “We are just about to head into the legislative debate for the second half of the Diet session.” He went on to state that many issues that would have a significant impact on the lives of the Japanese people had been piling up, such as the right to collective self-defence, TPP, the Basic Energy Plan and the review of the Worker Dispatching Act, and said, “We will properly tackle each one of these issues.” In particular, with regard to the proposed revision of the Worker Dispatching Act targeted by the Abe administration, Kaieda referred to the fact that the office of the Secretary General had established a centre to consider issues relating to irregular employment together with those employed as irregular workers, as had already been reported by Secretary General Akihiro Ohata in a meeting of the party executive. Kaieda also mentioned the way in which the DPJ had responded to the Special Secrets Protection Act, which had been the central point of contention during the Diet session at the end of last year. He said that the DPJ had held a meeting at the beginning of this year to which they had invited outside experts, with the aim of “continuing to pursue the issue of the Special Secrets Protection Act in conjunction with outside experts,” and said that “in the second half of the Diet session we would like to engage in promoting a national movement or holding a meeting that would in a similar way involve outside experts, and those persons who are experiencing extremely difficult conditions in working as irregular labour.” Kaieda also announced that a DPJ delegation led by Acting Secretary General Masaharu Nakagawa had visited Beijing, China from March 20 to 22, and met with China-Japan Friendship Association President Tang Jiaxuan, as well as officials from the International Department of the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee and Communist Youth League. He stated, “[Both sides] confirmed that we would continue to develop our party-to-party relations.” Kaieda also announced that he himself planned to visit the United States in the first or second week of April. Asked for the purpose of his visit, he said that comments by Prime Minister Abe and senior officials close to the Prime Minister regarding historical issues were causing friction between Japan and the United States, and said, “I would like to convey the message to US lawmakers that other opinions also exist in Japan.”