Aso rejects opposition parties' calls to cancel cash benefit program

TOKYO, Jan. 6 Kyodo -
Prime Minister Taro Aso on Tuesday rejected opposition parties' calls to remove
the 2.04 trillion yen allotted for a cash benefit program from the
government-proposed second extra budget for the current fiscal year.
Aso also rebuffed criticism from Japanese Communist Party lawmaker Kensho
Sasaki that the scheme is tantamount to ''vote buying'' for a future election,
saying in a House of Representatives plenary session that the plan is an
important measure to support people's livelihoods.
The cash benefit plan is ''one of the key measures to (protect) livelihoods, as
it will have a (positive) economic effect by increasing consumption through
providing it widely to households,'' Aso said, adding that many people have
said they are waiting for the payment.
In the debate, Yukio Hatoyama, secretary general of the main opposition
Democratic Party of Japan, criticized the scheme, calling it ''the ultimate
hugely foolish measure'' and urged Aso to use the money to support employment,
medical care and other measures instead.
But the prime minister sought cooperation from opposition parties on securing
early passage of the second extra budget and a budget for fiscal 2009, saying,
''The world is in an economic crisis that occurs once in a 100 years... I am
determined to (have Japan) escape from this recession.''
The DPJ, the Social Democratic Party and the People's New Party jointly
submitted a bill to the Diet earlier Tuesday to amend the second extra budget
for fiscal 2008 to remove the allotment for the cash benefit program.
By presenting the bill, the opposition parties are seeking to rouse public
opinion against the program, which would distribute a minimum of 12,000 yen per
person as a measure to support households.
Hatoyama also called on the prime minister to make a decision either for the
Cabinet to resign en masse or to dissolve the lower house for a snap general
election, saying, ''The powerless prime minister hanging around has brought a
political vacuum and exacerbated recession and unemployment.''
But Aso dismissed Hatoyama's calls, saying, ''My primary responsibility is to
stabilize people's livelihoods. We will swiftly implement effective economic
measures and steps to (protect their) livelihoods.''
Meanwhile, Hatoyama sought the dismissal of Parliamentary Secretary for
Internal Affairs and Communications Tetsushi Sakamoto, who retracted Tuesday
his controversial remarks the previous day questioning whether the unemployed
people who took shelter in a Tokyo park over the New Year's period really
possess the will to work.
Responding to Hatoyama, the prime minister said the remarks were inappropriate
for people who have lost jobs and are in a difficult situation. But Aso later
told reporters that he does not intend to dismiss Sakamoto at this stage as he
has retracted the remarks and apologized.
On the consumption tax, Aso said there is a need to increase the tax from the
current level of 5 percent from fiscal 2011 on the premise of an economic
upturn in order to build a sustainable social security system.
To tackle the deteriorating job situation, Aso emphasized the need to implement
various measures to stabilize employment such as through the enactment of a
bill to revise the worker dispatch law.
The government submitted the 4.79 trillion yen second extra budget at the
outset of the regular Diet session Monday. It includes support measures for
households, small businesses and regional economies hit hard by the current
economic slowdown.
The main focus of the current Diet session is whether the ruling parties -- the
Liberal Democratic Party and the New Komeito party -- will succeed in passing
related bills to implement the cash benefit program by holding a second
overriding vote in the lower house in the event that the bills are rejected in
the opposition-controlled House of Councillors.
The government plans to submit the fiscal 2009 budget later this month.
==Kyodo
2009-01-06 22:09:43