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On October 8, DPJ President Katsuya Okada held a press conference at party headquarters.
Speaking of the cabinet reshuffle, he frowned at the government’s empty rhetoric, saying, “[The reshuffled cabinet’s] catchphrase could be ‘all words but no action’. The empowerment of women, regional sovereignty, and now the goal of ‘promoting dynamic engagement of 100 million citizens’ have all been proposed, but it is really difficult for me to find some tangible achievement.”
Okada also expressed strong reservations about the Abe administration’s reform credentials, saying, “For example, one might ask what has happened to the talk of fiscal reconstruction. The pledge to get the primary balance into the black by 2020 can’t be achieved with things as they are. Even if consumption tax is increased to 10%, it will not be possible to achieve it without either a corresponding cut in expenditure or increase in revenues. I am extremely concerned about the fact that the reshuffled cabinet has been launched without mention of this issue.” He added, “The administration has spread the illusion that a whole variety of issues can be resolved by economic growth. This may sound easy on the ears for a time, but I am deeply concerned about the long-term future of Japan.”
Okada went on to comment on the slogan of ‘promoting dynamic engagement of 100 million citizens’, saying, “This all stems from economic motives. I have big doubts about the way in which the issue has been framed. I have no intention of totally denying the targets, such as a birth-rate of 1.8%, that have been set, but the issue is how to create a society which facilitates giving birth to and raising children, and the basis of that is the pursuit of human happiness. It is the aim of politics to enable people to live fulfilled and happy lives, and economics is the way to achieve this. However, I have the impression that the way has become a means in itself.”
Regarding the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP), Okada responded, “[The government] must explain the situation in the Diet and allow basic questions to take place as soon as possible. The extraordinary Diet session should of course be convened, but if the government claim that would take too much time then they should immediately convene deliberations while the Diet is not in session and then go on to convene the Diet session.”
Okada also commented on the ongoing response to the new security legislation: “In particular consistency with the Constitution and the risk to SDF personnel have been explained to the Diet in a totally inadequate way” and said the DPJ would continue to raise the matter in the Diet. With regard to the debate over submission of a bill to scrap the legislation, Okada said, “It is unthinkable for a constitutional nation that the unconstitutional portions should remain. We will continue to discuss the issue within our party and with other opposition parties in order to return this part of the legislation to the drawing board.”
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