(13) On Activity for Making an Advance in Forthcoming National Elections and the Struggles in the Diet

1. To open the way to realize a Japan in the 21st century in which "the people are sovereign," the JCP has a great responsibility to the Japanese people to win further advances in national elections to bring about in national politics a positive change in the balance of political power.

A central task for the party is to win new advances in forthcoming national elections in terms of the number of JCP votes and seats, especially in the 1998 House of Councilors election. The party must adhere to the policy "the proportional representation election campaign as the hub" and make the effort to achieve a drastic increase in seats in the proportional representation constituencies and at the same time to make an advance in the local constituencies, aiming to get as near as possible to achieving the vote ratio targets to win of the electorate. For the party to make an advance in the 1998 House of Councilors election will be very important for achieving a further advance in the next House of Representatives election.

Based on the nationwide massive increase in the percentage of JCP votes to the electorate in the 1996 general election and building on the recent JCP advance in the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election which made the JCP the second biggest party in the assembly, for the coming House of Councilors election, the party will end the division between "must-win constituencies" and the other constituencies, and fight the election based on "LDP-JCP confrontation," with the party working to win a seat in every constituency. Even where a party organization cannot win a seat in this election, they must aim to develop and increase their strength sufficiently to make a real bid for a seat in the near future, by achieving a significant increase in votes. As regards "priority constituencies" in the election campaign, the party center will be responsible for flexibly designating such constituencies and taking the necessary steps to assist them.

To mobilize the people for establishing a national majority, the JCP in addition to the official JCP recognized candidates will, if circumstances allow, boldly stand some clean and courageous non-party candidates jointly with other progressive and democratic forces. For the 1998 House of Councilors election, the JCP has decided to stand in the Kochi local constituency, Kochi Prefecture, a joint progressive democratic candidate. Success in this effort will constitute a major step forward in the promotion of joint work between the JCP and non-party people in national elections.

The lessons from the 1996 House of Representatives election are that it is increasingly important to adhere to the principle of the "proportional representation election campaign as the hub," and to win the struggle over choice for political parties and political currents--the "all-are-LDP forces" current or the JCP. In the debate on policy, it is important for the JCP, the only progressive party, to combine putting forward clear policies and points on issues which currently are of great concern for the people, with informing them of the overall picture of the JCP and its vision, fighting all anticommunist attacks and to help the people overcome their prejudice and misunderstandings about the JCP. This is an important lesson which the whole party has learned from past election struggles.

There is always the possibility of the LDP dissolving the Diet and calling for a snap general election based on what is in the best interests of their party. The JCP must always be ready to withstand any surprise attacks and any form of trick by the LDP.

On the party's election campaign policy, we intend to revise, in the light of the present situation, the "four basic principles," which the party has followed as hard and fast rules since the JCP 8th Congress, as below. And based on them we intend to strengthen the party's daily activity for winning elections. The "four basic principles" apply not only to election campaigns but also to the daily activity of every party branch based on its "policy and plan."

(1) To conduct consistent daily activity among the people based on their urgent demands, to defend their interests and to increase the party's influence among them.

(2) To conduct daily mass political campaigning and dialogue for increasing support for the party and to inform the people of the party's overall picture, which includes the party's history and its line, in addition to party policy, and to counter anticommunist attacks without fail.

(3) To energetically speak about Newspaper Akahata's role and charm among the people, and to undertake activity to increase subscribers to party organ papers and magazines, including Akahata, and to actively work to recruit party supporters to the party.

(4) To strengthen activity in various mass organizations and groups and to develop various forms of cooperation and joint work with them, and to expand and strengthen JCP supporters associations.

2. To achieve further advances in national elections, the whole party is required to carry out daily activity for winning in elections based on the "four basic principles." It is especially important for the JCP Dietmembers Group which became bigger in the last election, to demonstrate their existence in relation to real politics and to achieve results which match the people's expectations.

In the Diet debates, in addition to probing bad politics on the basis of fact and reason, it is important to initiate constructive debates in which clear solutions in the people's interests are offered on all issues. In last year's (1996) Diet debates on the "jusen" (housing loan companies) issue, the JCP not only opposed the use of taxpayers' money (to offset the "jusen" bad debts--ed.), but proposed the reasonable solution of making the major banks, which founded the "jusen," accept the responsibility. By this proposal, the JCP took the lead in the subsequent Diet debates to such a degree that common understanding developed on this proposal in the Diet. From the debates the JCP gained the people's confidence on a wide scale in sharp contrast to the other parties which were unable to make any alternative proposal worth discussing. This is an important lesson the party learned.

In the Diet sessions following the last general election, the JCP achieved a series of good results: the party opposed the government policy of imposing burdens on the people, such as the consumption tax rate increase; it urged the government to increase revenue by cutting the enormous government wasteful expenditure; the party got the government to promise to review the 630 trillion yen planned expenditure on the "basic program for public works investment"; the JCP got the government plan to relocate some functions of the capital virtually freezed; and also the party got the government to promise to review the extremely high prices for medicine.

Even in the present political situation in which "all the parties except the JCP have become the same as the LDP," it is possible for the JCP to reach partial agreement on various issues with other parties. It is also possible that as the contradictions between the bad politics and the people deepen, then contradictions and splits will emerge among the forces which have embraced LDP politics. In such circumstances, the JCP will make positive and constructive efforts to change the Diet into taking a positive direction for serving the people's interests. In fact, when the Diet became deadlocked on the "jusen" question, the JCP played a positive role for getting the deadlocked Diet session back to normal and to some degree changed the traditional system of "excluding the JCP." This is an important lesson which in future the party must make the most of.

Although in the last general election the JCP advanced, the party still remains a very small minority in terms of its number of Diet seats. And in spite of the party's all-out efforts, there are still many bad bills being forced through the Diet. But if the JCP Dietmembers Group makes every effort to change real politics by maintaining close ties with the mass movements outside the Diet and fights by using its maximum ability with all-out effort, the party can develop wider expectations among the people, who want the party to become bigger and stronger.

It is also important for JCP Dietmembers and candidates to maintain close daily ties with local residents and perform the role of a "bridge" between local residents and national politics. Resulting from the last general election, there are now JCP Dietmembers in all the 47 prefectures representing these regions. This is a new situation the party can exploit for advancing such activity. To ensure that the JCP Dietmembers Group carries out nationwide activity, the JCP has set up a JCP Dietmembers Group Office in each of the 11 House of Representatives proportional representation blocs and in each of the 47 prefectures. It is essential that the party makes sure that these offices are open for local residents and establishes them as places in which the party can develop ties, exchanges and cooperation with the people, including those in broader sections who so far have had no links with the party.

(14) For Drastic Strengthening of Activity in Local Government and for Major Advances in Elections

1. Currently many municipalities face record financial crisis. With their original function as services for residents abandoned, municipalities have degenerated into something like "development corporations" for promoting big development projects.

The total debts of the municipalities in the country are some 150 trillion yen--the worst ever position in history. Financial crisis in local government is not a new story, but this crisis is not only unprecedented in scale but arises from different factors compared to the past. The financial crisis in the 1970s was due to the sharp drop in tax revenue arising from the recession in the period following the oil shock. But the current on-going financial crisis arises from bankrupt big development projects undertaken by local governments in total disregard of their original function as local governments.

The utilization of municipalities for huge development projects was promoted by the joint initiative of central government and business circles. They increased public investment for "single-handed projects" for which municipalities supplied the finance without any subsidy from central government. Preparation of a site first and then invite enterprises to make it pay, is the system which became prevalent throughout the country. The formula of "private sector-based" projects--the system by which local governments established joint development corporations in conjunction with big general construction companies and banks, has been adopted throughout the country. Under this system, local governments with very small investment launched huge development projects far beyond their financial means. The companies monopolize the profits and the risks are borne by the local governments. But with the bursting of the bubble economy, such giant development projects now face complete failure, as is clear from the Tokyo Waterfront Development Project and the Osaka Bay Area Development Project.

Under the pretext of "overcoming" the financial crisis which their own adverse administration created, a new all-round offensive has recently been launched by local governments, which involves undermining the welfare, education, living condition and businesses of residents. The "Plan for Sound Finance," which was a burning issue in the Metropolitan Assembly election, is the worst ever project which drastically undermines various existing systems for protecting the living conditions of Tokyo citizens established in the progressive and democratic Tokyo government period. Similar plans are now under way by municipalities in many parts of Japan. With municipal "restructuring" imposed by the Home Affairs vice-minister's circular notice in October 1994, second "Guidelines for Administrative Reform" are now being prepared in 94% of municipalities throughout the country. Its characteristic is to further reduce budget expenditure and personnel in relation to people's living conditions, while leaving untouched wasteful expenditure on development projects which more than anything else need to be checked.

Central government constantly talks about the "decentralization of power." But what it really means by the "decentralization of power" is further tightening of its control over local governments, while imposing further burdens and responsibilities on them. Actually in this period, the government has intensified its violation of the self-government rights of municipalities. This is clear from the imposition of big development projects on local governments in total disregard of the residents' will with mandatory orders for expenditure on welfare services to be cut, and government subsidies to be cut as "punishment" for welfare and medical policies which are better than the set government standard. This is just dark autocratic control over local governments, which is quite different from the real meaning of "decentralization of power."

In the majority of municipalities, all parties, except the JCP, are literally part of the "all-are-ruling-parties" forces which pursue politics at the expense of the people in the community. To correct the present situation, which is marked by municipalities greatly deviating from the spirit of the Constitution and the Local Government Act, the aim must be to strengthen and further develop the current in local government based on "the people as the key force"--this is an important task for the JCP.

2. The field of local government in which the JCP has over 4,000 assembly members, the highest number of any party, is the strongest and most advanced field of party activity, and we have a big responsible role to play on behalf of people in the community, one which reflects the position of the leading party in the country. Party bodies at all levels must drastically strengthen activity on local politics and assume responsibility for local government not only on elections but for everyday things. Especially, they must acquaint themselves with questions at issue and specific policies, and make efforts to help raise the level of activity of JCP local assembly members groups.

In particular, activity of the JCP assembly members group in the Metropolitan Assembly, in which the party is now the second largest party, must be regarded not just as activity in one particular district but activity which will directly influence the people's assessment of the whole party at national level. Being the second largest party means that to some extent it now has the power to steer the Metropolitan government. In this sense, our responsibility is extensively serious. In order to meet Tokyo citizens expectations of the party, we must do our utmost to meet the promises we made during the assembly election.

But at the same time, we must say that our present achievement of over 4,000 assembly members is still rudimentary when looked at from the position of our aim of bringing about political renovation. JCP representatives in local assemblies amount to only 6.24% of all seats. At prefectural assembly level, we are still only the fifth party. At city and ward assembly level, we are the third party. And as yet we have no seats in 1,046 local assemblies which account for 31.7% of all municipalities. This needs special attention by us.

In this field also, we must not be content with what we have so far achieved but work to make further major advances. In order to increase the party's weight in local assemblies, we must strive positively to increase our seats, according to the target and plan prepared on the basis of three objectives as follows: (1) to increase the percentage of party seats in local assemblies; (2) to establish the right of the party by winning the required number of seats, to propose bills; (3) to overcome the position of no party seats in many municipal assemblies. During the period of our struggle against the reactionary offensive, our election campaigning tended to be defensive, with priority given to defending existing party seats in local assemblies. But the situation has changed. Based on the offensive for increased assembly seats, we must naturally strive, following an election, to work not only to secure our existing seats but also to increase our seats in the next election four years on. Especially is it important to bring about a drastic change in the balance of power in the local assemblies in which we have few assembly members, viz. prefectural assemblies, ordinance-designated city assemblies, and city and ward assemblies. We must deliberately and systematically proceed to overcome by the beginning of the 21st century the position of municipal assemblies in which we have no seats throughout the country. Along with conducting vigorous contests in all the off-year elections, the party will promote the preparation for simultaneous local elections in 1999. Also on importance to the election of agricultural committee members, the party will make efforts to increase the percentage of JCP members in these committees.

3. To further increase the number of progressive and democratic local governments, we must give due attention to local government heads elections. The further extension of the number of progressive and democratic local governments established in this period, in particular the current of new local governments in which the JCP is the only ruling party, is not an exceptional phenomenon limited to specific districts. We must work to strengthen the current for new progressive and democratic local governments in all parts of Japan. To this end, we must give prominence to party activity on elections for municipal heads, make clear the everyday municipal problems, and organize movements of residents and citizens based on agreed demands. It is important to systematically tackle all this well before time.

In the municipalities where we have established a progressive and democratic local government, the party has a special responsibility as the ruling party to the local people, to defend and develop the government. The Liberal Democratic Party uses every means to obstruct the progress of resident-oriented administration. In order to overcome such obstruction and to steadily achieve what we promised in elections, we need new thinking and strength beyond the experience of just being an opposition party. The experience of our struggle in the mayoral elections in Komae City and Adachi Ward, Tokyo, gave rise to a lot of rich lessons: how to change the situation in unity with the people's movement; the role of the JCP assembly members as the ruling party, giving support to the local government head; the importance of party bodies giving correct and prompt leadership.

Especially, can the administration of local government led by JCP member be a test of the JCP's true value for dealing with real politics and showing its administrative capacity. The progressive and democratic administration in Nanko Town, Hyogo Prefecture, is the focus of public attention because of the pioneering achievements of its democratic administration. Advances by local governments with JCP members as heads, achieved by overcoming many difficulties, has significance at national level, and not for just one specific district.

4. Local people's referendums have been held over U.S. bases in Okinawa, waste dumping sites and the construction of nuclear power plants. In Okinawa, the movement for a citizens' referendum on the pros and cons of the plan to construct a U.S. off-shore base is developing. The development of these movements is an important means for directly getting the keen wishes and demands of residents reflected in local politics. This movement should be focused on in the future so that local autonomy as guaranteed by the Constitution will develop.

There are a wide variety of activity by "Citizens Ombudsmen/ Ombudswomen" for identifying and trying to end wasteful spending of tax money and bad practices in administration. These activities play a significant part in monitoring administrations by the citizens themselves, and the party will pursue various forms of concerted action and cooperation with them.

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