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On February 22, DPJ Secretary General Ichiro Ozawa held his regular press conference at party headquarters. In response to a reporter’s question, he said, “From now on, we will create a research body for the House of Councillors Manifesto. Since this is an electoral platform, we will announce it at an appropriate time.”
Furthermore, with regard to policy committees, Ozawa revealed that Senior Vice Secretary General Yoshimitsu Takashima would be responsible for this issue, and that the party would hold discussions with the government on the following day (February 23), in order to ensure that the committees are fulfilling their true role as a forum for enabling the government to absorb the opinions of ruling party Diet members.
Ozawa also commented on the refusal of the LDP to attend the debate in the Committee on Budget, saying he would leave this issue in the hands of the party’s Diet Affairs Committee, and adding “I hope that the situation can be resolved.”
In response to a question on the loss of the DPJ-backed candidate in the Nagasaki gubernatorial, Ozawa said, “I think that it is extremely regrettable that he lost by such a wide margin.” He stated that voters’ perceptions differed between local and national elections, and went on, “I regret [my personal circumstances] have caused so much trouble. I don’t believe that [the political fund scandal] had a positive impact, but we need to become a political party that can obtain the voters’ support whatever the circumstances.”
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