Europe Solidaire Sans Frontières
Dear friends,
I’m informing all of you with the greatest joy that the bills of privatization
of postal services in Japan were rejected and scrapped in the Upper
House by a margin of 17 votes on Aug 8.
The bills passed at the Lower House by a narrow margin of five votes on
July 5. Then, the bills continued to be debated at the Upper House until
the bills were killed on Aug 8.
As for privatization of postal services in Japan, eighty percent or more
of Japanese oppose it in the first place, according to many surveys
conducted by the media. Additionally, even each prefectural assembly
where the majority belongs to the ruling parties adopted a resolution on
opposition or resistance to the bills.
The main reason for objection to privatization of postal services from
the public is that many residents particularly living in the rural area
or a local town feel anxious that postal office would disappear after
privatization. They already know what privatization is or what
privatization has brought about, through privatization of national
railway in 1987. After privatization of railway services in 1987, local
or deficit lines were abandoned because profit comes first. As a result,
many local towns or villages have been losing vitality and the number of
residents has been becoming less as they prefer to live in cities or
more convenient places.
In addition, many local banks familiar to residents disappeared or are forced to stand on the edge of a precipice because the government raised a
baseline of recognition for deficit bank or financial institution. Hence,
residents or owners of small business in a local town cannot get access
to them any more. Finally, the last remaining one they depend on is
postal office.
Most of the media supporting privatization or the Koizumi administration
criticize MPs or rebels in his party who oppose privatization for their
sticking to a traditional way of politics causing a structure of
collusion between particular MPs and industries which mean that they
protect the interest hidden in postal services.
I think it may be true in a way. They are seen beneficiaries of the
interest produced by the current postal system.
However, the reason for the rejection of the bills is more than that. I
confidently say that many Japanese said No to Privatization, No to
Neoliberalism. I consider the rejection represents a revolt of local
residents or local areas suffering from neo-liberalistic globalization.
Privatization of postal services is what Koizumi has cherished since he
took up as PM four years ago. He always said that the privatization was a
centerpiece of a series of Regulatory Reform policies promoted by his
administration as well as his belief. And now he has never changed the
view even after rejection.
Well, why does Koizumi cling to privatization of postal services? To put
it very briefly, he is really a puppet of Bush, as all of you know. When
he met Bush at Gleneagles immediately after positive voting at the LH,
Koizumi’s performance was applauded for passage of privatization bills
at the LH by Bush, according to the media.
Every year the US government submits to the Japanese government a letter
of demands called “Annual Reform Demand Document” since Clinton and
Japanese PM met at the regular Japan-US summit meeting in 1993 to
recognize that the US would submit the document. The document orders the
JP govt to revise laws unfavorable to the US interest. Privatization of
postal services is a biggest demand among them.
The Japanese postal savings deposits amount to about $3 trillion. Now
the amount, or a key of state budget, is still controlled and managed by
the government. However, Koizumi tries to flow the amount in the
marketplace after privatization, upon request of the US. The US
industries including insurance companies or vulture investors are aiming
at this fund.
For the document, see the following USTR site:
Mizuho Fukushima, a chairperson of the Social Democratic Party as well
as attorney at law questioned about the bills of privatization of postal
services at an open meeting organized by ATTAC Japan and Yusei Rodosha
Union (standing for Postal Workers’ Union in Japanese), a small and
independent but very active union, saying "it became clear during
session at Parliament that Japanese high-ranking officials of the Postal
Services Privatization Office met their US counterparts or industries
seventeen times to discuss privatization of postal services in Japan.
Did such Japanese officials meet Japanese residents about the issue
seventeen times? That is absolutely, NO"
Koizumi and his cronies will never disclose the fact that he just follows the American request of privatization.
Considering the situation, we at ATTAC Japan and Yusei Rodosha Union
jointly did many different activities to block the bills. We formed a
Citizens’ Network of Watch of Privatization of Postal Services in April.
The aim was to stir up discussion about privatization or boost up
discussion to the level that every people are discussing about
privatization, instead of persisting on turning down privatization from
the first.
Our activities included open meetings, distribution of fliers at the
street and to MPs, lobbying (calling on MPs to debate with them about
what privatization is or our resistance to privatization), sit-in in
front of the Parliament, etc. Sometimes we used a interview video titled
“What is Privatization? - Voices from the Outside” taken in Porte Alegre
this year (Thank you for your cooperation, Jacques, Walden, Joseph,
Nicola, Gonzaro, Carol, Alexandra, Apo, Mi-kyung, and others!).
Finally, we scrapped the bills. Koizumi broke up the LH and declared a
general election scheduled on Sept. 11.
Koizumi said, "I am merciless to rebels in my party. I’ll feed in
a powerful rival candidate in each constituency where rebels are
supposed to run for an election."
As of today, Koizumi already announced some candidates, possibly leading
to a bitter battle or infighting which is clearly beyond common sense.
Koizumi is proud of being called a maverick. However, we say that what
he did, is doing or will do is just becoming a YES person to the US
unconditionally.
He doesn’t care about criticism from China, Korea and other Asian
countries on his administration’s stance apparently approving invasion of
Asia during WWII.
Researchers say that there are much more issues he has to address now,
such as pension reform, employment, foreign policy including permanent
membership of the UN Security Council, SDF(Self Defence Forces)’s
dispatch to Iraq, and relationship with North Korea, etc., adding that
people don’t prefer discussion on privatization of postal services now.
Koizumi is aiming at the next stage. He will submit a new style of
privatization bills to the Parliament.
We have to shut down his intention thoroughly.
Our struggle against privatization and neo-liberalistic globalization
still continues.
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