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On June 27, DPJ Secretary General Yukio Edano held a campaign rally at Ikebukuro in Tokyo, urging the electorate to allow the DPJ to continue to proceed with reforms that previous administrations had been unable to accomplish during the past 50 years.
Microphone in hand, Edano vowed that the DPJ would undertake fundamental reform of independently-administered institutions, which increase wasteful use of tax money, clean up opaque special accounts, and review government-related public service corporations that are a destination for amakudari, and stated that the party had started preparations for legislative revisions to assist these goals. He urged the public to support his experienced DPJ colleagues who are exerting their power toward the realization of these policies.
Edano went on to say that some political parties had criticized the DPJ for their lack of achievement in the 9 months since a change of government. He attacked such a stance, saying, “Most of those parties are made up entirely of people who have been responsible for the government of this country over the past 50 years, and who have given tacit permission for the wasteful use of tax money.” He said that this included those in the new political parties, which were springing up like bamboo shoots after a shower during this rainy season. He criticized remarks from LDP and former LDP politicians, saying, “Someone who served as Minister of State for Government Revitalization for a year and a half without leaving behind any results regarding the screening of project budgets, has no right to say that we are ‘slow’.”
Edano added, “During these 9 months, we have succeeded in bringing about a change of government, thanks to your help, and we have revealed the true situation regarding wasteful use of tax money…We have managed to do what has never been done before during the past 50 years. Now finally, we have come to the Second Act of the play.” He called on those listening to once again give the DPJ the power to eliminate waste and reform the nation’s systems and legislation, and stressed, “I believe that it would be unforgivable if we were to turn back the clock of reform to return to those people, the ones who were unable to achieve reform for 50 years.”
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