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On October 29, debate on the bill to strengthen industrial competition began in the plenary session of the House of Representatives. DPJ Diet member Kaname Tajima (Next Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry and Director-General of the International Department) took to the podium, questioning ministers on the following: (1) the special characteristics of the "Japan is Back" revitalization strategy, (2) the establishment of an implementation process, (3) the special system for verifying companies and the system for grey zone elimination, (4) industrial metabolism, and (5) measures for supporting venture companies.
At the start of his speech Tajima said it was "extremely regrettable" that Prime Minister Abe was not in attendance at these discussions on the legislation which had been billed as "the cornerstone of the growth strategy", and stated, "I would like to urge the Prime Minister not to leave the third arrow at the mercy of the wind, and discussions on the legislation in the hands of his subordinates."
Following this, Tajima stated that the DPJ government had drafted a "New Growth Strategy for Japan" in which it had proposed distributing the limited policy resources available by placing priority on developing new growth in key areas, such as the three fields of green innovation, life innovation and the so-called sixth sector, in which producers in the primary sector also engage in the secondary and tertiary sectors. During this process the energy of the SMEs which form the backbone of the Japanese economy would be used to the full. He stressed that a mind-set which espoused the philosophy of one of the pillars of the "New Growth Strategy for Japan", "Green Innovation", emphasizing that the autonomy of the regions and friendly competition, should be an essential part of any future growth strategy, and asked whether the Abe administration shared this perception.
Tajima went on to comment on the special system for verifying companies and the system for grey zone elimination, which are being proposed as concrete policies for regulatory reform, stating, "Cooperation between the minister responsible for businesses and the minister responsible for regulations is supposed to be a precondition, so with that in mind how are you going to bridge the gap in the perceptions held by the two ministers toward regulations?" He also asked, "If a company makes an application and this is judged to infringe the regulations according to the grey zone elimination system, then we have to consider the possibility that such a company might transfer their application to the special system for verifying companies and this might then lead to relaxation of regulations."
Finally, Tajima commented that his home district in Chiba city had previously been home to a flourishing steel industry, but at the start of Japan's high growth period, the then governor of the BoJ, Hisato Ichimada, had opposed the construction of Chiba iron works, as well as arguing that an automobile factory was unnecessary. He stated: "I urge the Abe administration to bear such episodes in mind, and to take to heart the premise that the growth strategy should be only regulatory reform and not government interference."
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