The fiscal 2017 general account budget, worth a record ¥97.5 trillion, has been enacted.
The new budget, formulated at a time when efforts to end deflation are at a standstill, includes defense spending amounting to more than ¥5 trillion and expenditures to improve the working conditions of childcare and nursing-care workers, as well as spending for policies aimed at bolstering the vitality of private-sector corporations. The new fiscal budget should be steadily implemented to realize a virtuous cycle of growth and distribution.
Discussions in the first half of the current Diet session initially centered around diplomacy toward the U.S. administration of President Donald Trump and work style reforms. Later, the focus of debates shifted to such issues as amakudari — the practice of high-ranking bureaucrats taking up postretirement jobs at other organizations — involving the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry, daily reports drawn up by the Ground Self-Defense Force, and crimes that could be committed in the form of preparations for terrorism. This prompted opposition parties to grill such figures as education minister Hirokazu Matsuno, Defense Minister Tomomi Inada and Justice Minister Katsutoshi Kaneda over these issues.
In mid-February and later, the Diet’s interpellation focused on the problems involving the sale of state-owned land to Moritomo Gakuen, an educational corporation. The questions and answers centered around a reduction of about ¥800 million in the sale price of the land from its appraisal value, raising questions about whether any politicians were involved in that process and whether there was any consideration shown by the bureaucracy in connection with the price reduction decision.
Yasunori Kagoike of Moritomo Gakuen testified in the Diet that he had received a donation of ¥1 million from Akie Abe, the wife of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, adding that a government employee attending her had made inquiries to the Finance Ministry about the plot of state-owned land in question — a move that has caused a bigger uproar.
Pressing issues need debate
Although the government and Akie Abe’s side should continue to account for the issue, the ruling and opposition parties should also carefully consider the true nature of this problem when conducting question-and-answer procedures.
What cannot be overlooked is that Diet deliberations have been dominated almost entirely by this issue. It is regrettable that discussion has been scarce on such issues as how to achieve both economic rejuvenation and fiscal reconstruction as well as those related to North Korea’s nuclear and missile threat, which has entered a new stage.
The opposition parties seem to have viewed the Moritomo Gakuen issue as a convenient tool with which to deal a blow to the Abe administration, at a time when the Liberal Democratic Party remains the sole dominant force in the current political landscape. However, it is necessary to actively conduct debates regarding various other important tasks.
There are many important bills to be discussed in the latter half of the current Diet session.
The bill to revise the Law on Punishment of Organized Crimes and Control of Crime Proceeds — the main pillar of which will establish the crime of preparing for terrorism — is indispensable for reinforcing international investigative cooperation with a view to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. There are cautious opinions within Komeito about discussing the bill, with a Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election scheduled for July. Nevertheless, the bill must be enacted in the current Diet session.
It is important for the opposition parties to make the first move in promoting calm discussions, not stirring up the public’s anxiety by advancing such extreme arguments as “[the bill could create] a society in which everyone would be kept under surveillance” and “[the legislation would] punish ordinary citizens, too.”
The ruling and opposition parties deserve praise for making mutual concessions regarding the abdication of the Emperor and agreeing to establish special legislation for approving the Emperor’s abdication. The government is scheduled to submit a pertinent bill to the Diet. The bill needs to be passed with the support of more and more political parties.
On March 16, the House of Representatives Commission on the Constitution resumed discussions after four months out of session. Priority should be given to narrowing down items subject to constitutional amendment. With that in mind, each political party needs to conduct constructive discussions.(The Yomiuri Shimbun)
Link: http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0003605497
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