Policies of 'third-pole' forces should be carefully scrutinized

要約

Various political forces are talking about establishing a “third pole” that will replace the ruling Democratic Party of Japan and the No. 1 opposition Liberal Democratic Party. Most of these forces call for revising the war-renouncing Constitution or for exercising the right to collective defense while some are strongly pushing neoliberal, market-fundamentalist policies that would result in weakening the nation’s social and economic fabric.

What is happening is that the number of political choices in the right-leaning camp is increasing. This is an unhealthy development. People need to carefully study the policies those political forces would bring about, and how their policies would affect their lives and the political direction of Japan.

Mr. Ichiro Ozawa, a former DPJ secretary general now leading the People’s Life First party, says that the third-pole parties should negotiate to reach an agreement on which parties will run candidates in which constituencies to prevent them from creating advantages for the DPJ or the LDP.

Differences in policy matters among third-pole parties are so big that if they unite without policy coordination, it would be viewed merely as a politically convenient union to seize power. Such a union would be a political disaster even if people were dissatisfied with the political situation dominated by the DPJ and the LDP.

Clearly third-pole forces have no common direction in their policies. These forces call for breaking the centralized government system. It will be easy to destroy an established system, but to establish a completely new system will be time-consuming. And there is no guarantee that a new system will work. The quality of people’s lives could deteriorate in the transitional period. People should not be swayed by empty slogan politics.

日本語の抄訳はウィークリ11月24日号のP18に掲載されています。