STATEMENTS

Statement of Protest Against the Outrageous Forced Passage of "Pension System Bills" in the Health and Welfare Committee

November 26, 1999

Kiyoshi SASAMORI
General Secretary
Japanese Trade Union Confederation (JTUC-RENGO)

Democracy in Japan is now about to be crushed by the oppressive numbers of huge coalition ruling parties.
On the evening of November 26, the three ruling parties; the Liberal Democratic Party, the Liberal Party, and the New Komeito Party, forcibly created the Health and Welfare Committee of the House of Representatives. They did so to force passage of the Pension System Reform Bill Package against the opposition of the parties out of power, including the Democratic Party, the Social Democratic Party and others. This conduct is truly outrageous, this majority denies parliamentary democracy and mocks the nation.
The ruling parties wound up deliberations on the Pension System Bill which greatly influences the living standard of the nation, in the short space of several hours, in substance; about 2 days. Moreover, they held a central hearing meeting on the condition of voting on bills. This strips Diet deliberations of all its contents entirely. RENGO can never accept those coalition parties' Diet steering. We are protesting with all our anger today's forced passage of the Pension System Bill Package, following the arrogant decision on the hearing schedule the other day.
The Pension System is the foundation that sustains our national standard of living and the Medical Care System, nursing care and welfare for our aging society and increasingly low birth rate in the coming century. It is fundamental to conduct a reform while displaying a total vision of social security. RENGO has advocated this repeatedly in consultations with the New Komeito Party and the Liberal Party. However, this package postpones radical reform of the Basic Pension System, which on the one hand is now losing substance. The package increases the burden on the others, decreases pension provision levels by 10%, and raises the eligibility age to 65. Moreover, the package contains unclear, irresponsible methods for dealing with deficits in pension reserve management. These bills are simply retrogressive. The three ruling parties who forced passage of those deteriorating bills bear extremely big responsibility.

Indisputably, the social security system in Japan is now about to be twisted through forced Pension System retrogression, nursing care insurance revision, and so forth thanks to the ruling coalition's "party interest" that are aimed at maintaining power. The Pension System Bill this time include measures which will have grave consequences for a 21st century with a rapidly aging society and low birth rate, as well as for the life of the nation. It is these problems, not the ruling coalition's closed-door discussions or forced passage, which are truly matters for the nation's judgement. At the same time, the nation is now questioning the very existence of these huge ruling coalition parties that occupy 70% of the seats in the House of Representatives.
Backed by substantial public support, which does not condone the arrogance of the ruling coalition, RENGO will work in closer cooperation with each of the parties out of power such as the Democratic Party and the Social Democratic Party. RENGO will work to support the all-out struggle to stop passage of retrogressive measures and realize radical reform of the Pension System Bill.


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