On May 18, DP President Katsuya Okada faced off with Prime Minister Abe at Question Time.

Okada stated, “When dissolving the House of Representatives to call a general election a year and a half ago, Mr. Prime Minister, you stated that ‘we will not postpone raising the consumption tax to 10% again’, and promised ‘we will create the economic conditions for this.’  However, if you have not fulfilled this promise, then I believe that you should resign your position.”  He added, “If you are going to postpone raising consumption tax again, then you have an obligation to justify this decision to the public.”

Okada went on to explain, “During my time as a member of the ruling party, I joined Prime Minister Noda in promoting the comprehensive reform of tax and social security.  We should not leave future generations with a heavy debt burden.  At the same time I also thought it important that we should create a sustainable social security system.”  He added, “However, in view of the fact that the economy is losing momentum right now, I believe that we are now in a situation where the consumption tax increase must be postponed once again.”  Okada then made the following four suggestions to the Prime Minister:

1. Maintain the goal of bringing Japan’s basic fiscal balance into the black by 2020.  In order to achieve this in time consumption tax will need to be increased to 10% by April 2019.
2. Proceed with more concrete administrative reforms.  At the same time, reforms including a prioritization process for public works projects, and reductions in Diet members’ annual allowances and civil servants personnel expenses should also be implemented or it will not be possible to gain public trust.
3. Implementing policies to enhance social security.  Annual payments of \60,000 to those on low incomes, and assistance for children and child-rearing should be implemented without delay.  There is no alternative but to fund these for two years by issuing deficit-covering government bonds.
4. Since there is now time available, the proposed implementation of reduced rates of consumption tax should be scrapped, and the discussion of whether it is most desirable to implement a total aggregate system or tax credits should be revisited.

Prime Minister Abe responded, “We will continue to make appropriate judgements within the framework of our original philosophy, but I will be happy to hear your suggestions.”

Okada went on to question how pacifism would fare were the Constitution to be revised, saying, “In your statement in August of last year, you, as Prime Minister, said that ‘Japan will continue to firmly uphold the principle that any disputes must be settled peacefully and diplomatically based on the respect for the rule of law and not through the use of force, and to reach out to other countries in the world to do the same.’  Is that not the pacifist spirit embodied by Japan’s Constitution?  As soon as you permit the full use of the right to collective self-defense by crossing the line which states that Japan will not engage in an armed attack in a conflict overseas, then the pacifism of the Constitution will be destroyed.”