On 18th June, slap-bang in the middle of vital policy debates, the Koizumi administration brought its final Diet to a premature close. This ended a session of just 150 days; most unusually there was not the slightest extension despite even the absence of a summertime election.

In the latter half of the last Diet session, we, the DPJ, had continued to apply pressure in House debates, focussing on the Conspiracy Bill and problems in the Social Insurance Agency. Unfortunately the dialogue has been cut short. Until the autumn, voters will now have to set their sights on post-Koizumi politics. In the mean time we will cast our thoughts forward to the autumn Extraordinary Diet and ready ourselves for the showdown with the next administration.

So, post-Koizumi: Everyone seems to be asking who the next Prime Minister will be. However we must not forget that the important question is not who it is going to be but what he is going do.

The widening gulf between rich and poor, recently captured by the neologism ‘gap-widening society’ [kakusa shakai], is often used to illustrate the Koizumi administration’s legacy of failure. Although the harsh reality is that inequality does and will always exist, if people possess opportunity they can succeed despite disadvantage.

However, problems emerge when social divisions become fixed and opportunities are lost. The expansion of the gap between rich and poor - and the difficulty in crossing it - has become startlingly obvious; the phrase ‘gap-widening society’ now has a place in common parlance. This is a result of the Koizumi government’s poor comprehension of the situation.

How will the next administration deal with the issue? Side-by-side with close scrutiny of government decisions, we, the DPJ, intend to push forward with our own party policies.

Again, if we look at the so-called “construction of social structures to cope with a shrinking population and an ageing society”, it is obvious that the Koizumi government shied away from immediately tackling its responsibilities. Whilst Koizumi announced the “complete overhaul” of the Social Security structure, in reality it was nothing of the sort. This can be clearly seen in the unfinished, piecemeal “Pension Revolution”.

The National Pension and National Insurance systems, structures which Japan has come to pride, are on the brink of disintegration. People’s fears for the future-anxieties over ageing and declining childbirth - are continually increasing. The falling birth rate is a serious matter that requires policies which yield results. We must implement these boldly and proactively without delay.

We, the DPJ, are already proposing plans to establish a ‘Revenue Agency’ to replace both the Social Insurance Agency and the new pension system. We are drawing up concrete policies for a complete overhaul of the Social Security system in other areas, too, such as healthcare and nursing. Whilst presenting policies that meet the challenges of a decline in birth rate, we will continue to scrutinise the actions of the LDP.

(Translated by R.J.F. Villar)