Rally held to demand support for local government finances(12/6/2008)

Demo in front of the Diet building

President Okabe giving his speech

  President of JICHIRO’s Central Executive Committee, Mr. Okabe gave the opening address: “The so-called ‘smaller government’ reforms are following precedents merely because they are precedents, and are in fact nothing more than superficial meddling. Due to this meddling, social security and public services are regressing while social gaps are ever widening. It is the mission of us, the labour unions, to reverse this trend. Now more than ever is the time to strengthen moves to secure local government finances.”
  Professor Aoki from Kanagawa University also spoke, giving some historical background information on the growing social discrepancies and political policy.
  Next, JICHIRO’s secretary general, Mr. Kaneta, gave a keynote report, confirming the main points such as finding a way to ensure that local governments have a viable tax base, including tax allocated from the central government, and that the policy of squeezing local finances must be reversed.
  Finally the Yamagata Prefecture HQ led the adoption of the Rally Appeal, bringing the rally to a close.
  After the rally, participants marched to the Diet building, chanting messages demanding support for local finances and an end to regional wealth gaps.