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On May 6, the DPJ Local Government Politicians Forum held a general assembly in Tokyo. Prime Minister and DPJ President Yukio Hatoyama addressed around 500 members of local assemblies gathered from around the nation, saying, “In this era of regional sovereignty, I would like to create an era for a new concept of public service. Resistance is growing stronger. I would like to ask for your support.”
Hatoyama went on to say, “I would like to fan the flames, to move forward the hands on the clock of reform.” He said that his government had succeeded in introducing a monthly child allowance of ￥13,000, free high school tuition, and an individual household income support system for farmers, in accordance with pledges made in last year’s general election Manifesto, and stressed, “We are moving forward, even if little by little, in a way that responds to the expectations of the Japanese people.”
Furthermore, Hatoyama stressed the objectives of his administration, saying that in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity, those matters that can be dealt with by the regions should be dealt with by the regions and that he would aim for a regional sovereignty that would further the creation of regions in which everyone’s ideas could be made use of, and for a “new concept of public service” in which public service would not be dominated by the bureaucracy, and the strength of the private sector would be borrowed to reduce costs.
Prior to Hatoyama’s speech, DPJ Organisation Committee Chair Goshi Hosono made a speech on behalf of the hosts, stating that local politicians had a vital role to play, and adding that he “hoped to see vigorous debate” during the assembly.
Speeches were also made by Miyagi Prefectural Assembly member Futoshi Utsumi and Fukuoka City Assembly member Hiromi Eto. The latter proposed the following action measures for 2010: 1) Let’s speed up the Hatoyama administration’s regional sovereignty reforms by winning the House of Councillors election, 2) Let’s promote concrete policies to implement regional sovereignty reforms and the “new concept of public service” in the regions, 3) Let’s promote policy-making and regional action toward winning the nationwide local elections. These measures were approved by the assembly.
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