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Following the extraordinary party convention held in Tokyo on September 21, at which incumbent DPJ President Yoshihiko Noda was re-elected as president of the party, he held a press conference in which he reiterated his resolve upon re-election to engage in government administration and management of the party.
In his opening statement President Noda stated the following: “I will steel myself more than ever before to engage in government administration and party management, and in so doing respond to the mandate granted by the people of Japan. With a heightened sense of urgency I will work to fulfill my duties.” In addition, in response to the various suggestions that had been made for the party’s organizational reform during the course of the DPJ presidential election campaign, President Noda indicated his intention to appoint the key party executive positions prior to his departure for New York on the evening of September 24 to attend the United Nations General Assembly, noting the following: “Over the past year Secretary General Azuma Koshiishi has provided committed support. This evening I intend to consult with the Secretary General and come to my own decision concerning the future after exchanging views with him.”
With regard to his aim to “improve and strengthen teamwork,” President Noda expressed his resolve in the following way: “There are many Diet members, both veteran and young alike, who have real strengths and resources. I would like to consider how we can place each person in the right position, so that he or she may play a role in some form in government administration and party management. I want to create a structure in which we all strive to both formulate and realize policies.” He went on to note that: “The elections for both Houses of the Diet will take place in the not-too-distant future. We must concentrate our strengths in various measures for the elections. To that end I will pay attention to various aspects and consider overall balance when making judgments.”
In response to a question about whether the passage of the bill on reducing the number of Diet members was an essential prerequisite before the election for the House of Representatives, President Noda noted his views in this way: “This is something that must be achieved. The correction of the disparity in the value of one vote that is said to be unconstitutional is of the highest priority and it would be neglectful of a legislative body to allow the current state of affairs to continue.” Noting that the bill related to reform of the election system for the House of Representatives (which incorporates a “0 more, 5 less” amendment for single-seat constituencies, the elimination of 40 proportional representation seats, the partial introduction of a mixed-member proportional representation structure, and the further reduction of 35 seats by the next-but-one election) had been passed by the House of Representatives, but had not been deliberated in the House of Councilors, President Noda stated: “If anyone has any further ideas, I would like to hear them. Many of the people of Japan are eager to see us actually set about the process of the comprehensive reform of the social security and taxation systems, and I want us to demonstrate just such a proactive stance. I want to share recognition of the issues relating to election reform with the political parties that concluded the three-party agreement.”
In addition, with regard to the formulation of the supplementary budget, President Noda noted that seamless economic measures would be required, stating that: “I wish to make a decision based on a firm understanding of tax revenue forecasts and solid analysis of the economic situation.”
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