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2009/04/17
Hatoyama says Ozawa will lead DPJ counter attack in Diet, electoral campaign
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On April 17, DPJ Secretary General Yukio Hatoyama held his regular press conference at party headquarters. He stressed that it was the DPJ’s mission to determine how to realize the change of government hoped for by the Japanese people, and repeated the party’s determination to engage in a counter attack and bring about a change of government, saying, “We will have President Ozawa lead us in striving to bring about a change of government through Diet debate and electoral preparation.“
In particular, Hatoyama emphasized that Ozawa would travel all around Japan to support those scheduled to be DPJ candidates, and that Ozawa would take the opportunity to come into contact with as many voters as possible, and also go to campaign on behalf of the DPJ-backed candidate in the Nagoya mayoral election. He further stressed that the content of the DPJ manifesto would be enhanced, that the party would attack the government’s supplementary budget as a vote-pleasing measure and as a waste of tax money. He said that the party would step up such activities in order to give it a higher profile with the voters.
Hatoyama went on to comment on the supplementary budget, stating that the government would distribute 15 trillion yen as a vote-pleasing measure and that would be followed by an increase in the consumption tax, adding, “One of the key issues of the election will be whether this is really the right thing for Japan.” He stressed that the DPJ would engage in thorough debate on the supplementary budget.
Hatoyama went on to refer to media reports that the investigations into donations and covert donations by Nishimatsu Construction had come to an end, calling for impartial and fair investigations and criticizing the way that the investigations had been conducted by saying, “Does that means that they intend to leave the covert donations unexposed?”
A reporter asked about hereditary Diet members, to which Hatoyama replied, “We want to prevent hereditary politicians from standing in the same district [as their immediate relative or similar (exact relationship to be restricted is under discussion)], and we would like to include that restriction in our manifesto.”
Furthermore, in response to a question regarding the issue of politics and money, he said that the DPJ was aiming to implement legal restrictions during this Diet session, and if this proved to be impossible, would “emphasise the prohibition of donations from corporations and other organisations in our manifesto.”
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