The ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the opposition party, the Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP), held recently their leadership elections. The results of two elections have shown us a remarkable change in the social opinions; that is an accelerated trend toward amending Article Nine of the Constitution and preparing for a war. Let’s fight for the coming general election with firm resolution to counterattack the on-going social trend.
KEEP JOINT FRONT OF OPPOSITION POLITICAL PARTIES AND CITIZENS!
The ruling LDP had a second ballot finally between candidates Mr. Ishiba Shigeru and Ms Takaichi Sanae, and the former was elected as party president with a small margin. The LDP commits in the general election with campaigning to establish Asian NATO, which is proclaimed by Mr. Ishiba, and fielding an ultra-rightist, Ms Takaichi, as a candidate. Many of the nine presidential candidates, including Koizumi Shinjiro, declared to amend Article Nine. This kind of phenomenon has never been seen before, even during the administration led by Mr. Abe Shinzo.
The LDP had provably estimated that they could even attract angry voters with the money scandal by this kind of operations. Meanwhile, each presidential candidate emphasized on ‘suspension of increasing defense budget’, ‘taxing intensification on financial incomes’ and ‘reviewing the health certificate scheme to be integrated to the My Number registration system’, not failing in using honeyed words.
No difference is found
Let’s look at the presidential election of the CDP. In the arena of national security and diplomacy, all the four candidates explicitly mentioned pivotal reliance on the US-Japan alliance. No difference is found from the LDP’s inciting logic, ‘threat of China’. Concerning the national security legislation, too, the CDP candidates kept a restrained posture, saying ‘abolition of unconstitutional part’, which is unclear.
As for the surge in ‘defense expenditure’, they downed the issue to ‘a way of spending money’, explaining to improve working conditions of soldiers of the Self Defense Forces (SDF). The LDP’s candidates stirred up crisis-ridden atmosphere to use belligerent phrases, while the CDP’s candidates did not touch upon political tensions in the world. It is probably because the CDP had agreed with the critical legislation relating to war preparation, including helping ‘defense’ industries and establishing a new, integrated headquarters of the SDF.
The CDP candidates did not refer to the militarization of the islands lying in the southwestern region of the country. With regard to taxation and finance, the CDP’s policy line is parallel to that of the ruling LDP, which does not confront the governing party. Instead, the CDP criticized policies of the LDP’s candidates, stating them as ‘a copy of those of the opposition party’.
Article Nine is in crisis
Unless the CDP rebuilds itself, the parliament will be reigned by the totalitarian groups. The CDP opposes amending Article Nine, wishing peace. Not a few MPs of the party are critical on the policies for ‘national security, nuclear power generation and consumption tax’.
However, as far as the area of national security and diplomacy is concerned, the CDP’s stance does not stop the spread of suspicion over China and pursuit for intensified deterrence capabilities. Rather, the CDP tries to be parallel with the conservative consciousness in the name of alternation of government. The election of Mr. Noda Yoshihiko as a top leader of the party possibly reflects this fact.
The coming general election and the scheduled 2025 election for the Upper House will be a testing ground for a referendum on Article Nine of the Constitution. We, members of the New Socialist Party, work hard to send candidates who reject a war and seek disarmament to the parliament in the joint cooperation with the Social Democratic Party (SDP). We firmly keep a joint front in each small constituency, cooperating with the constitutional opposition parties, as the CDP, the Communist Party and the SDP. Under the remarkably changed social trend, we must be determined to begin with a very small number of people. It is to organize those who are worrying about the current condition of the opposition forces.
自民党の総裁選と立憲民主党の代表選の結果は、地滑り的な「世論の変容」を露わにした。9条改憲と戦争準備の流れが加速しかねない。流れに抗する覚悟をもって解散・総選挙に総力あげよう。
自民総裁選は、石破茂・高市早苗両氏の決戦投票の末、僅差で石破総裁となった。自民党は、「アジア版NATO」を呼号する石破氏と極右の高市氏を看板にして総選挙に臨む。小泉進次郎氏をはじめ多くの候補者が9条改憲を唱えた。安倍政権でも考えられなかった事態である。
裏金問題に怒る人々も、こうした看板で引き付けられると読んだのだろう。一方で各候補は、「防衛増税停止」「金融所得課税強化」「マイナ保険証見直し」などの甘言を砂糖のようにまぶすことも忘れなかった。
「違い」は分からず
立憲民主党の代表選はどうか。「安保・外交」では、4人の全候補が「日米同盟基軸」を明言し、自民党が煽る「中国脅威論」との違いは分からない。安保法制についても、「違憲部分の廃止」という意味不明の方針すら抑制気味だった。
「防衛費」増の是非は「使途」に矮小化され、自衛隊員の待遇改善を説いた。自民党の各候補者が危機を煽り、尖がった発信をするのに比べ、立憲の候補者は世界の緊張の打開には触れなかった。
「防衛」産業支援や、自衛隊の統合司令部新設など重大な戦争法案に賛成したからであろう。
南西諸島軍事化についても言及していない。税財政も自民党と対決するものとは言えず、自民各候補の政策を「野党の真似だ」と批判した。
9条の「予備選」に
立憲民主党が立ち直らなければ「翼賛」国会になる。同党は9条改憲に反対で、平和を願っているはずだ。執行部の「安保・原発・消費税」政策に批判的な議員は少なくないはず。
しかし、「安保・外交」で立憲の態度は対中警戒心と「抑止力」強化論の蔓延を阻むものではない。むしろ「政権交代」のためにと保守的意識に合わせようとしている。野田佳彦氏を代表に選出したのもその反映だろう。
総選挙と参院選は9条改憲の国民投票の予備選挙になるだろう。私たちは社民党と新社会党の共同で「不戦・非武装」の議員を総選挙、参院選挙で国会に送り出す。小選挙区における立憲・共産・社民など立憲野党共闘を守る。いずれも地滑り的な「世論」の変容の下では、少数から出発する覚悟がいる。野党の現状を危惧する人びとを結集することである。
英訳版↓
No. 1374 General Election 2024 Will be Held
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the opposition party, the Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP), held recently their leadership elections. The results of two elections have shown us a remarkable change in the social opinions; that is an accelerated trend toward amending Article Nine of the Constitution and preparing for a war. Let’s fight for the coming general election with firm resolution to counterattack the on-going social trend.
KEEP JOINT FRONT OF OPPOSITION POLITICAL PARTIES AND CITIZENS!
The ruling LDP had a second ballot finally between candidates Mr. Ishiba Shigeru and Ms Takaichi Sanae, and the former was elected as party president with a small margin. The LDP commits in the general election with campaigning to establish Asian NATO, which is proclaimed by Mr. Ishiba, and fielding an ultra-rightist, Ms Takaichi, as a candidate. Many of the nine presidential candidates, including Koizumi Shinjiro, declared to amend Article Nine. This kind of phenomenon has never been seen before, even during the administration led by Mr. Abe Shinzo.
The LDP had provably estimated that they could even attract angry voters with the money scandal by this kind of operations. Meanwhile, each presidential candidate emphasized on ‘suspension of increasing defense budget’, ‘taxing intensification on financial incomes’ and ‘reviewing the health certificate scheme to be integrated to the My Number registration system’, not failing in using honeyed words.
No difference is found
Let’s look at the presidential election of the CDP. In the arena of national security and diplomacy, all the four candidates explicitly mentioned pivotal reliance on the US-Japan alliance. No difference is found from the LDP’s inciting logic, ‘threat of China’. Concerning the national security legislation, too, the CDP candidates kept a restrained posture, saying ‘abolition of unconstitutional part’, which is unclear.
As for the surge in ‘defense expenditure’, they downed the issue to ‘a way of spending money’, explaining to improve working conditions of soldiers of the Self Defense Forces (SDF). The LDP’s candidates stirred up crisis-ridden atmosphere to use belligerent phrases, while the CDP’s candidates did not touch upon political tensions in the world. It is probably because the CDP had agreed with the critical legislation relating to war preparation, including helping ‘defense’ industries and establishing a new, integrated headquarters of the SDF.
The CDP candidates did not refer to the militarization of the islands lying in the southwestern region of the country. With regard to taxation and finance, the CDP’s policy line is parallel to that of the ruling LDP, which does not confront the governing party. Instead, the CDP criticized policies of the LDP’s candidates, stating them as ‘a copy of those of the opposition party’.
Article Nine is in crisis
Unless the CDP rebuilds itself, the parliament will be reigned by the totalitarian groups. The CDP opposes amending Article Nine, wishing peace. Not a few MPs of the party are critical on the policies for ‘national security, nuclear power generation and consumption tax’.
However, as far as the area of national security and diplomacy is concerned, the CDP’s stance does not stop the spread of suspicion over China and pursuit for intensified deterrence capabilities. Rather, the CDP tries to be parallel with the conservative consciousness in the name of alternation of government. The election of Mr. Noda Yoshihiko as a top leader of the party possibly reflects this fact.
The coming general election and the scheduled 2025 election for the Upper House will be a testing ground for a referendum on Article Nine of the Constitution. We, members of the New Socialist Party, work hard to send candidates who reject a war and seek disarmament to the parliament in the joint cooperation with the Social Democratic Party (SDP). We firmly keep a joint front in each small constituency, cooperating with the constitutional opposition parties, as the CDP, the Communist Party and the SDP. Under the remarkably changed social trend, we must be determined to begin with a very small number of people. It is to organize those who are worrying about the current condition of the opposition forces.
October 9, 2024