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On the afternoon of February 20 at party headquarters, the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) held a national meeting of the representatives from the DPJ local policy research committees. Local representatives from the 47 prefectures held a lively discussion. The meeting started with a demonstration of a web conferencing system, to be installed to facilitate the sharing of policy issues and information between the headquarters and local organizations.
Policy Research Committee Chair Mitsuru Sakurai stated in his opening remarks, “The image that we are fragmented – the biggest reason for our loss in the general election – must be overturned. The party must appear united and to be taking concerted actions.” He said, “In order to be able to reflect local opinions into policy decisions, I would like to set up a forum to routinely exchange views with the 47 prefectures of Japan on a weekly basis over the Internet.” Sakurai stated that policy decisions would be formulated with a view to achieving a unanimous consensus at the Next Cabinet. With regard to reflecting the opinions of local organizations, Sakurai noted that local voices would be taken into account in the policy decision-making process, using the new web conferencing system, and ultimately would be reflected in the Manifesto.
Representatives from the prefectures expressed opinions and raised questions. “Can ‘Abenomics’ really get Japan out of deflation?” “How will the Manifesto be prepared for the House of Councillors election?” “The local sovereignty reforms are moving backward, one example being the elimination of block grants.” Sakurai and others responded, “Although there are some benefits to the depreciation of the yen, this is also causing import prices to rise and there are negative aspects as well.” “The Manifesto will be prepared together with everyone.” “With block grants being cut by 400 billion yen and tied subsidies increased by 300 billion yen, the Liberal Democratic Party has gone back to old-style politics. I urge you to question this at the local assemblies in March.”
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