基礎きそ年金ねんきんの底上そこあげ措置そちなど与野党よやとうが意見いけん交かわす【日曜にちよう討論とうろん】

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito, along with the Constitutional Democratic Party, are holding revision talks on related bills for pension system reform. On NHK’s Sunday Debate, officials in charge of social security from both the ruling and opposition parties exchanged opinions on measures such as raising the basic pension.

Former Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare of the Liberal Democratic Party, Tamura, said, To be honest, we wanted to include the so-called anko—the part that raises the basic pension—in the bill, but since we lost seats in the last House of Representatives election and the ruling parties alone cant pass laws, the truth is we were really worried about whether the opposition parties would understand.

We are discussing what to do about this in our talks with the Constitutional Democratic Party, and if it is included, it will go back to the way it was.

This time, a revision proposal will be submitted by the Constitutional Democratic Party, and if it passes in the Diet, there will be no problem, he said.

Mr. Ryuji Satomi of the Komeito Party said, We should move forward with raising the basic pension.

The Constitutional Democratic Partys amendment is in line with that direction.

Originally, it would be an ideal situation if we could boost the economy by promoting wage increases that outpace rising prices, but he stated, At the very least, even if the economy does not improve, we should still aim to raise the baseline.

Mr. Kazunori Yamanoi of the Constitutional Democratic Party said, I have to say the governments proposal is completely unacceptable, as the most crucial part—raising the basic pension—has been removed.

If we leave things as they are, in the future, pensions for the current working generation and young people could be cut by up to 30%.

Pension reform must not be used as a political tool.

The bill must pass the House of Representatives by this Friday, or it wont be enacted during the current Diet session, so we absolutely want to pass an amendment that will put the brakes on pension reductions.

Mr. Aoyagi, the Policy Research Council Chairman of Nippon Ishin no Kai, said, What the public is most concerned about is whether they will be able to receive enough pension to support themselves in old age. However, even with the content being discussed between the Constitutional Democratic Party and the Liberal Democratic Party, it does nothing to address the publics concerns, and although a permanent source of funding is necessary, there is no explanation at all.

He said, We need to implement fundamental reforms, not just superficial ones.

Ms. Asami Tamura of the Democratic Party for the People said, I have to say that the pension system reform does not go far enough.

Raising the level of the basic pension is something that must be discussed regardless of whether one is in the ruling or opposition parties.

He said, Unless all parties discuss issues such as extending the retirement age, the structure of public pensions, and employment and fiscal matters, a national debate will not expand.

The Japanese Communist Partys Secretary General Koike said, The biggest issue is whether or not to continue the macroeconomic slide.

However, the current revision plan is something to be considered at the time of the next fiscal review, so as things stand, we will continue to have anpan without bean paste, and moreover, the macroeconomic slide will also continue. Therefore, measures to stop it immediately are necessary, he said.

Reiwa Shinsengumis Ms. Uiko Hasegawa said, Both the government proposal and the Constitutional Democratic Party proposal are worth zero.

Both proposals still include the macroeconomic slide that further reduces the already small pensions, so it needs to be stopped.

He said, The most important thing is to revive the economy and raise pensions.