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2012/12/04
Noda Makes a Speech in Iwaki, Fukushima―Seeking to Move Forward with Reforms Necessary for Japanese People and Continuation of Politics That Can Make Decisions
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On the morning of December 4, DPJ President Yoshihiko Noda made a speech in the street in front of JR Iwaki Station in Fukushima Prefecture, in which he called for the continuation of people-friendly politics and political reform to realize politics that can make decisions and deliver, which the DPJ Government has been pushing through, before an audience of about 1,000 people who stood in the pouring rain to listen to what he had to say.
Noda emphasized that “the DPJ is necessary in order to press forward with reforms necessary for the Japanese people.” “Politics that can make decisions” that the DPJ has been pushing forward are “essential in order to move forward the restoration from the Great East Japan Earthquake, to move forward the Japanese economy, to move forward social security, to move forward diplomacy and security, to move forward political reform, and to move forward upon a direction of creating a society that does not rely on nuclear power,” he stated.
In his speech, together with measures for the restoration from the Great East Japan Earthquake on the basis of the basic policy of “there can be no restoration of Japan without the restoration of quake-afflicted areas,” which he has consistently emphasized, Noda highlighted the five priority policies: (1) a shift to green energy policy that pursues the achievement of zero nuclear power usage with a view towards eliminating nuclear power; (2) the growth strategy for the Japanese economy to create four million new jobs by allocating budgets to growth sectors; (3) reform of the social security system to also pay attention to the working generations in addition to the elderly; (4) continuation of diplomatic and security policies that stick to the exclusively defense-oriented posture and position as a peaceful state; and (5) decisive actions to realize political reforms, including a substantial reduction in the number of Diet seats and breaking free of hereditary politics, which other political parties are reluctant to push forward. “Each drop of rain is just a tiny grain. But as rain drops flow to become babbling brooks, streams and then mighty rivers, if the wishes of each and every one of you to have the reforms the DPJ is pushing through sustained are joined together, we can move Japan’s politics forward,” Noda said.
Many of the citizens who braved the rain to listen to Noda’s speech voiced their support for the reforms the DPJ Government carried through, saying that “Our lives have certainly changed after the change of government,” “I think politics are now having a high regard for people” and “it has become easier to have and raise children.” Some citizens expressed concern over hawkish diplomatic and defense policies of some opposition parties, saying that “it is questionable whether the National Defense Forces (Kokubo-gun) will stick to an exclusively defensive posture.”
Japanese Trade Union Confederation (JTUC-RENGO) President Nobuaki Koga, who stood on the podium with Noda, stated boldly that “Let us have the DPJ take care of another major task for the revival of Iwaki City and Fukushima Prefecture as well as Japan. I firmly believe that doing so will lead to the revival of Japan in the true sense of the word. While other parties are calling for deregulation of the labor market, I think it is the current government/DPJ that makes the best efforts for the restoration of quake-afflicted areas from the standpoint of consumers and from the standpoint of workers.”
Noda’s statements are summarized below:
[Restoration from the Great East Japan Earthquake]
A very important campaign to decide on Japan’s direction has got under way. I decided to speak here in Iwaki to kick-start that campaign. Why? Since I assumed the post of Prime Minister on June 2, 2011, I have kept saying one thing. I have told the whole nation that “there can be no restoration of Japan without the restoration of Fukushima.” We have transmitted this message to the entire world as well. I thought I should start the campaign to decide Japan’s restoration here in Fukushima. By starting here, I want to make a fresh start for Japan by newly confirming my thought that “there can be no restoration of Japan without the restoration of Fukushima.”
In my first policy speech as prime minister, I quoted from the words of a play performed by high school students from Fukushima. “To be born in Fukushima, grow up in Fukushima, and work in Fukushima. To get married in Fukushima, have children in Fukushima and bring up those children in Fukushima. To see our grandchildren in Fukushima, to see our great-grandchildren in Fukushima and to end our days in Fukushima.” This passage concluded with the words, “That is our dream.” That was the usual way of everyday life before the earthquake, but now young people here speak of that normal way of everyday life as their dream. Politics have the responsibility to bring back that normal way of life as the usual way of life, not as a dream, as soon as possible. For that and for the restoration of Fukushima, we have to steadily carry through with compensation, decontamination, and reconstruction of life for afflicted people. We have drawn up the road map but are still halfway to the goal. First of all, I would like to pledge to you to make all-out efforts to accelerate our path down that road.
[Shift to energy policy that seeks to achieve zero nuclear power usage]
Why couldn’t we avert that nuclear power station accident? Even now, I still cannot but feel ashamed when I think of it. People at the electric power companies were not the only ones who gave themselves over to the myth of safety. The government and politicians did so, too. In order to take responsibility for that, we have to put Fukushima back on its feet. Learning from the lesson, we have to start our soul-searching with a shift in energy policy. Following the nuclear accident last year, people in Iwaki, people in Fukushima Prefecture, and people across Japan thought that Japan should break free of dependence on nuclear power and pursue zero nuclear power usage. I gather this is the wish of many of Japanese people. In response to that wish, the DPJ Government took a cabinet decision to “pursue zero nuclear power plants in operation by the 2030s and mobilize all policy resources to achieve that goal.”
Under the successive governments led by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), a lot of nuclear power stations were constructed across Japan, including the ones in Fukushima Prefecture, which together came to account for nearly 30% of the nation’s energy supply. However, we now have to break away from a society that depends on nuclear power and pursue zero nuclear power usage in the future. To that end, we must promote the spread of renewable energy and thorough energy-saving efforts. I ask voters to let the DPJ move forward on the road of breaking away from nuclear power.
The LDP claims they need to stand still for 10 years to think it over. Are they serious about the spread of renewable energy or energy-saving efforts? I doubt it. The LDP advocates the “continuation with nuclear power.” I would like to ask you to ponder over the difference between “breaking away from nuclear power” and “continuation with nuclear power” and ask for your sensible support for our policy.
[Growth strategy for Japan that leads to the creation of 4 million new jobs]
We would like to bring about a green energy revolution in the area of renewable energy. Such areas as medical care and nursing care also have development potential and capacity to create jobs. Agriculture, forestry and fisheries have development potential as well. We will use fiscal resources for these areas to realize seamless economic growth. Ultimately, we want to create four million new jobs.
What makes our economic policies different from those of other parties is that we invest in areas with future development potential and areas that can create employment, and create new jobs there. Transient dole-out policies do not make sense. In that sense, and this also concerns Fukushima, we decided to increase subsidies for companies which consider to locate facilities within the country by the first package of economic measures we adopted in October.
Through the corporate site location subsidies, we would like to create employment by promoting industries within Fukushima Prefecture. This approach may be called the “planting of seeds.” Plans to build bases for renewable energy and medical care bases are in the offing in Fukushima Prefecture. These are in line with the growth strategy for Japan the DPJ has put together. Let us together create new jobs in such growth areas as renewable energy, medical care, agriculture, forestry and fisheries going forward.
Agriculture, forestry and fisheries industries also have growth potential. Fish catch landings at Onahama Port are recovering to previous levels. There are many products of Fukushima that are suffering from harmful rumors. At the Prime Minister’s Office, we are enjoying tasteful rice produced in Fukushima every day. I am telling all government agencies to eat Fukushima-produced rice. I will stand at the helm and continue to realize seamless policies for the development of agriculture, forestry and fisheries of Fukushima Prefecture and for delicious Fukushima products to sell well by overcoming harmful rumors.
[Establishment of social security reforms]
The questions now are “whether we can move forward what we have to do” or we “return to the old-style politics” and “turn the clock back.”
Social security before and after the change of government is completely different. Our government rapidly recovered pension records that went missing. As many as 50 million records had disappeared, but we were able to recover 28.6 million of them. We have witnessed the “collapse of medical care” and “passing the buck and giving the runaround” under the LDP-New Komeito government across Japan, and this stemmed from cutbacks of social security budgets by ￥220 billion each year under the LDP cabinet of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. The DPJ Government made two successive positive revisions in medical fees to improve the environment of medical practice and put the brakes on the collapse of medical care by increasing doctors in obstetrics, pediatrics, emergency medical service and surgery. We also improved the treatment of office workers in medical services.
The biggest change can be found in support for child-rearing. Before and after the change of government it is completely different. Unlike previous social security reforms that focused only on medical care, nursing care and pensions, our reform included social security in the first half of life as a pillar of social security. Pensions, medical care and nursing care are very important, but Japan cannot survive unless we give similar importance to child-raising. In order to press forward with these social security reforms, I would like to have your continued support for the DPJ.
[Diplomatic and security policies that stick to the exclusively defensive posture and position as a peaceful state]
Japan has consistently followed the path of a peaceful state. We have to stay on this course from now on. We are witnessing the emergence of a host of problems concerning territories, territorial waters and sovereignty. National interests are of primary importance. The government will act with resolution to defend and claim our national interests. On the other hand, we cannot be content with playing up strong words. We would risk slipping into antiforeignism by a flood with words that would provoke other countries. We need to draw the line there. We would proceed with our diplomatic, security and defense policies in a calm manner. As many as 100,000 Self-Defense Forces (SDF) men and women were mobilized at the time of the Great East Japan Earthquake. You may be well aware of their disciplined and magnificent activities. They are now making a contribution to the world. Peacekeeping forces dispatched by Japan increased 14-fold after the change of government and they have won high regard in the international community. Even without the renaming of the elite SDF forces into the National Defense Forces by revising the Japanese constitution, there is no question that they would stick to the exclusively defense posture and do whatever it takes to defend this country. The DPJ Government has steadily made arrangements and developed legal systems for that. I would like to call on voters to leave the realistic diplomatic and security policies up to the DPJ.
[Decisive action on political reform while other parties remain hesitant]
In political reform, what absolutely has to be done is a reduction in the number of Diet seats. As all other parties were sitting on their hands on this matter, I pressed Mr. Abe of the LDP and Mr. Yamaguchi of the New Komeito to make commitments to the reduction in the debate among party leaders in the Diet, in front of the Japanese people.
Before the eyes of the Japanese people, they did pledge to work toward the goal. But I am not sure whether they would really honor their promises if the DPJ loses power. That is why I am asking for your helping hand to move forward with political reform and reduce the number of Diet seats and break free of hereditary politics.
I feel that things have certainly changed before and after the change of government. A big change has occurred particularly in the social security sector. However, social security cannot be provided for free. We need fiscal resources to provide it. Up to now, social security has been borne mainly by the working generations. As that could not provide enough fiscal resources, we have dug into the pockets of the generations of children and grandchildren to finance social security expenses, leaving the coming generations to pay the bills. But this is not sustainable. Anyone can receive the benefits of social security, when he or she suffers an injury, meets with an accident or gets old. All Japanese people should cover social security that becomes necessary for such an event. That is the goal of the comprehensive reform of social security and tax systems realized by the DPJ.
I am aware that there are opinions that regard the comprehensive reform as far from sufficient, including the problem of fiscal resources. I would like to seek your support for the progress in the reform promoted by the DPJ in order to steadily accelerate our steps on this course and move the reform forward while paying heed to such voices.
In order to move forward the restoration from the Great East Japan Earthquake, to move forward the Japanese economy, to move forward social security, to move forward diplomacy and security, to move forward political reform, and to move greatly forward upon the course of breaking way from nuclear power, I would like to ask for your continued support for the DPJ from the bottom of my heart.
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