Democratic Party May be Government	No.646 August 18, 2009
		Comparisons are repeatedly made between the election platforms of the two big parties, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ). The differences, however, are not clear even to experts of political affairs, and interestingly, both of the manifestos contain proposals raised by some governors of prefectures. They hint to the electorate agenda that have not been debated in the parliament. Mass media cover news, presuming victory of DPJ. Let’s watch developments cautiously. DANGERS ENCIRCLE PEOPLE STEADILY LDP and DPJ Have Similar Policies Under the auspice of a non-profit organization called the People’s Congress to Build New Japan, a discussion meeting was held on August 9. The event was attended by nine organizations, which included Japan Association of Corporate Executives, Japanese Trade Union Confederation (RENGO), PHP Research Institutes, Inc., Japan Research Institute, Limited, and National Association of Governors. They checked and compared the political programs of the two parties. Though, solely, the RENGO scored 70 points to the DPJ and 45 points to the LDP in the comprehensive evaluation, other eight participants underestimated both of the manifestos, requesting the parties to show ‘ a perspective as a nation rather than a populist policy to throw money to buy over voters’. People are fed up and angry with the jungle philosophy imposed for long time which has made gaps between the rich and the poor. The ruling LDP fears, while the opposition DPJ, taking advantage of the situation, wants to be a government. Therefore both parties do not make a pledge which may cause a bad reputation among voters. That is why the two platforms are similar. Let’s analyze their pledges. For social services, the DPJ proposes Child Care Allowance, while the LDP, Free-of-Charge Child Care System. For employment, the DPJ tries to regulate employers more strictly than the LDP, but no big difference is found. The two parties propose a decrease of legislators to downsize the budget as well as show a similar idea on other issues. The ruling and the opposition keep silence on the huge debts of the state. Saying nothing about reduction of military budget or rectification of the unfair taxation system, they deliberately lead social opinions to a discussion of consumption tax rate to gain a financial resource. The two parties battle on the same ground, and consequently the opposition is often driven to a corner. A good example is the US-Japan Free Trade Agreement. The DPJ proposes to grant subsidies to individual farmers so that their products can compete with US agricultural products, but this is a copy of ex-Premier Koizumi’s policy. The DPJ get embarrassed when it is criticized by a conservative group of the LDP who advocates the vested interests. In other words both parties, which represent capitalist elites, cannot tackle the current crisis which, allegedly, has come once in a hundred years. Two Big Parties Vie, Undermining Article Nine In the recent meeting called for by the Congress, most of the nine organizations, after studying the official documents, scored the LDP in the higher position in terms of decentralization of state powers and diplomacy/national security. They appraise the new provincial system presented by some governors. The establishment forces appreciate the LDP which insists openly to destroy Article Nine in order to denounce the DPJ on one hand, and on the other, they have the two parties vie with each other on the issue of administrative reorganization. These forces have laid a siege to the DPJ in case it might be a government. The LDP pledges to enact a permanent law to send the Self Defense Forces abroad, prepare for execution of the collective right of national defense and encourage a preemptive strike policy against the enemy base. The nine organizations, except for the RENGO, estimated the LDP with a higher score. Mass media press the DPJ to be accountable enough to be a government, criticizing the recent vacillation. The DPJ, however, does not contend against the LDP, but keeps silence. Administrative Reorganization Some governors, including Osaka Governor Hashimoto, request a legislation to set up a consultative body to connect the state with the prefectures as well as insist of the new provincial system. The LDP has accepted the ideas, while the DPJ has replied to ‘study the new provincial units’ and enact a law to establish a liaison body. These policies are a step to restructure the administrative mechanism, which links with a policy to reduce the number of lawmakers and change functions of the Upper House. A new political party, Shinto-Nihon, has stated to bring representatives of local governments, such as governors, into the Upper House as members, but the idea needs constitution amendment. Small political parties founded lately draw attention by insisting to reduce legislators. Only Communist Party and Social-Democratic Party criticize such an argument. The situation is unusual. Let’s cast a vote to candidates who defend constitutional principles. Let’s stop dangerous developments which may be critical later.