ニュース 2015/01/29 “Social disparities hamper economic growth.” Nagatsuma emphasizes On January 29, DPJ Acting President Akira Nagatsuma posed questions regarding the supplementary budget for fiscal 2014 in the Budget Committee of the House of Representatives. Nagatsuma emphasized the importance of narrowing of social disparities, stating, “Social disparities hamper economic growth.” Referring to the Report on Income Disparities and Economic Growth, issued by OECD last December, Nagatsuma stressed that “The income redistribution function of government in particular has become extremely weak in Japan. We should strengthen such income redistribution functions from now on.” In response to this, Prime Minister Abe said, “If you focus on only redistribution rather than growth, the country will sink into gradual decline.” Nagatsuma argued against this, stating, “There will be no sustainable growth without appropriate redistribution. It’s not a matter of an either-or situation in which you must choose either redistribution or growth.” Nagatsuma called for the creation of a government-run scholarship system. He referred to ‘the poverty chain’, that puts Japan fourth from bottom amongst OECD when measuring relative child poverty, with a rate of 16.3% and also the fact that one in four of those who had been the recipient of welfare in their childhood, remain in that situation as adults. Nagatsuma also questioned Abe about the planned Statement to be made on the 70th anniversary of WWII. Nagatsuma quoted the Murayama Statement made on the 50th anniversary of WWII, which called the war ‘a mistaken national policy’, saying, “Do you recognize [WWII] to be a mistaken national policy?” Abe avoided answering the question, repeating his words, “I don’t intend to comment on each and every phrase in the Murayama Statement…I accept it as a whole.”