The New Komeito Party says that it supports Prime Minister Shinzo Abe
and his decision to push for revision of the Constitution in the
upcoming House of Councillors election. But the very same party
continues to grumble and complain. New Komeito shows itself to be
uncommitted, but in the end, it will follow Abe. Don't be deceived:
"Man is neither angel nor beast, and the unfortunate thing is that he
who would play the angel plays the beast." ? Blaise Pascal
Allow me to begin with some old news: The Jan. 8, 2007, edition of
the business newspaper Nihon Keizai Shimbun ran an article in its
"Politics" section entitled, "The Problem of Constitutional Revision:
END
This party has clear right-wing tendencies.
New Komeito Chief Opposes Making It an Issue in Upper House Vote."
The story was filed from Beijing by Takeshi Kumon. Here is an excerpt:
"While Akihiro Ohta, chief of the New Komeito Party, was chatting
with the press corps on his way to Beijing yesterday, he clearly
showed his resistance to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's plan to make
constitutional revisions an issue in the next upper house election.
'It's a bit premature, isn't it?' commented Ohta.
"Ohta said he had a phone conversation with Abe on Jan. 6 and
emphasized that the prime minister understands that the first thing
is to establish a national referendum to bring about constitutional
amendments. 'Rushing into the central debate won't bring about good
results,' Ohta added."
When it comes to national elections, the Liberal Democratic Party
and New Komeito are one and the same. And of course, New Komeito gets
its main support from Soka Gakkai, Japan's largest lay Buddhist
organization. The LDP and New Komeito (Soka Gakkai) essentially
merged during the 44th House of Representatives election on Sept. 11,
2005. The LDP's sweeping victory was achieved through the vote-
getting power of Soka Gakkai. In two subsequent by-elections on Oct.
22, 2006 (the 16th district in Kanagawa and the 9th in Osaka), the
LDP won on the back of Soka Gakkai.
The victory of the LDP-New Komeito candidate in the Nov. 19, 2006,
Okinawa gubernatorial election was decided by the same factor: Soka
Gakkai power. It was as if Soka Gakkai was carrying the LDP on its back.
The Abe Cabinet set its central strategy for the political battle of
July 22 ? the upper house elections ? by making constitutional
revisions its main theme. And in response to this, New Komeito chief
Ohta said, "It's a bit premature, isn't it?"
But this is the same political party that complained over and over
about former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visits to Yasukuni
Shrine, yet always came around to supporting the LDP-New Komeito
coalition in the end. New Komeito shows its supposed discontent to
the public, but it can't bring itself to sever its ties with the LDP.
If New Komeito is sincere when it claims that it opposes a move
toward constitutional revision, then it should break up the
coalition. It should also end its cooperation with the LDP during
elections.
Questions about the Constitution form the very basis of politics.
Opposing constitutional change while supporting the very person who
represents that change ? Prime Minister Abe ? is an insincere way
of doing business. In fact, it's a fraud.
Prime Minister Abe has set the LDP's focus for the upper house
election on constitutional change. New Komeito continues to support
this effort, on the one hand, while voicing its opposition to any
constitutional change, on the other ? the party's actions drip with
insincerity.
Political parties and politicians need at the very least to act
sincerely toward the people.
