Ozawa, 50 backers form new party called People's Lives First

This old fart should retire and just fade away.

At least the 'old fart' has his heart in the right places.

Better him than Ishihara and/or Hashimoto!

Osaka Mayor Hashimoto DISLIKES unions, city workers and teachers! Tokyo Gov. Ishihara DESPISES almost everybody!

"this guy just won't go away"

At least he's against making everything more expensive for me.

whiskey@7:17am: "Japan is heading towards the..."

abyss?

This is a party of "NO" without problem solving skills.

They only care about power. I have been watching Ozawa for a long time. This guy is for no tax hike but he has not given any idea to public how to balance the badget.

Any family earning less than 3 million should be exempt. They contribute more or less every yen to the economy anyway, whilst the upper class keeps their money in US dollar accounts in the bank.

How do you arbitrarily come up with this figure? 3 million yen, depending upon where one lives here in Japan is not all that much money.

More splintering, more bickering, more self-interest. At least Italian politics throws up entertainers like Berlesconi.

whiskeysour: It is beyond me that your article should have so many "bads". You have hit the poor nail on the head.

While I am grateful to Mr Noda for doing something about the public debt, I also think that raising the sales tax is not the best way to go about it. It will hit the economy and the poor more than the rich.

I think the best way to reduce public debt would be a solidarity tax similar to the one Germany has to finance the reunification. With one little difference: there should be a progression. The more you earn and have, the more you should relatively pay. I think, starting with 1% for all combined family incomes above 3 million yen, it should be somewhere around 3 - 5% for any family (combined income, that is) earning 6 million and more.

Any family earning less than 3 million should be exempt. They contribute more or less every yen to the economy anyway, whilst the upper class keeps their money in US dollar accounts in the bank.

This old fart should retire and just fade away.

+1 ... Although saying that you shouldn't have democracy in your country is going a bit far. There is indeed more don'ts than do's.

No, what I meant was have democracy by all means, but don't assume America sets the best example. There's how to do something, and how not to do something.

Just what the country really needs, another corrupt political party leeching off of tax payer's money

Whata,, KSD? not again a new copied KPOP group.

They voted for comedians

Schopenhauer, this is indeed a problem since only these get elected.

tokyokawasaki, you left out one typo: "Politicians livelihoods first", ne?

the party's name sounds more like a campaign slogan.

i suppose it gives them a launch pad to hurl invective at the ruling party whenever they do something that serves the interests of the monied class instead of the public interest.

It was a typo. It should have read "Politicians Lives First".....

Should be called the Energizer Bunny Party because this guy just won't go away.

Let's be honest , what people first...? This is the man who took 5 months to visit Iwate, his own electorate for god's sake after the Tohoku disaster, opting to stay bunkered down Tokyo for fear of radiation...(according to his now ex-wife).

'Ozawa First' is, was and always will be!

Calling it now. To all the Ozawa haters out there, you will be in the minority by this time next year. Oh, so sorry, I mean, We will be in the minority by this time next year.

Yawn! TMarie - I agree...nothing new here and its not going to change. Peoples Lives First!!! Bah! Since when did Ozawa even care about the common person????? How many parties is this he has formed? 4? 5? And Alex....Penguin Liberation Front!! Love it!!!!

I think it's comic, "People's Lives First", then their bank accounts, then their properties, art, paintings. Take everything you can.

or is that Penguin Liberation Front.... ?

PLF eh... they could really come up with a better name

The sad thing about all this is that some people will actually vote for him.

I would have said that a year ago, but today I think his days are numbered.

Ozawa is merely using the anger against unavoidable and inevitable rise in sales tax to gain political power. If he were in charge, he would be holding the banner declaring these taxes as an absolute necessity. The moment he saw the anger about the tax proposal, he pumped his fist and said, "よし！これだ！これを利用しよう！"

This 70 year-old is an egoist and cares nothing about people's lives. The fact that any old person has any idea what kind of trouble Japan is in fiscally would surprise me. Do they even care about the future? Our future! They're getting their pensions, but for those of us that are caught in the economic mess, created by past generations of politicians and voters, have to find a way to survive. I for one am tired of old people and their stubbornness.

The sad thing about all this is that some people will actually vote for him.

Kokumin no seikatsu ga daiichi?

Oh the irony!

Well, say what you like about Ozawa, but at least he has a sense of humour... A shame it's a sick and twisted one.

It would be quite fitting to call them an 'outlaw' party.

Yay! Another new party for Japan. Same old same old. Is this progress?

It's the fault of the American occupation authorities that Japan has such a useless bicameral legislature. It's a clumsy mish-mash of the US and Westminster systems that only works as long as one party can keep rigging elections. Like in America, the rules governing election campaign donations seem to be so lax and full of loopholes that rich donors can basically buy candidates. What you have to learn from America about democracy is how not to have it in your country.

+1 ... Although saying that you shouldn't have democracy in your country is going a bit far. There is indeed more don'ts than do's.

We have to learn more from America about democracy.

It's the fault of the American occupation authorities that Japan has such a useless bicameral legislature. It's a clumsy mish-mash of the US and Westminster systems that only works as long as one party can keep rigging elections. Like in America, the rules governing election campaign donations seem to be so lax and full of loopholes that rich donors can basically buy candidates. What you have to learn from America about democracy is how not to have it in your country.

Fantastic.... a new party... all of our troubles are over!

Oh you mean Ozawa's lifestyle

Nothing to see here, move along.

Now that the new party i formal in the eyes of the politicians, is it a reality for the voting public?

That is... if there is a voting public in Japan?

As in the USA, the current elections call for "what have you accomplished?" for the people of Japan in the past? Other than self-serving agenda and continued pointing of fingers at others, Ozawa has not really achieved anything... or has he?.

Other than to divide the people and impede the legislative process, he has contributed very little other than controversy after controversy. To some that may be a good thing, because they can hide their own misguided errors by diverting attention elsewhere. In fact all the parties so far, till the 3/11 disaster, have been hiding behind useless arguments that covered up their inability to do any good for the country.

He may have some personal or financial clout, but do the people really need him or his followers?

What good will they accomplish for Japan? Other than of course, more controversy and wasted debates?

What meaningful solutions has he or his group actually proposed and offered for the benefit of the nation? He does not even take a position defending the islands in Northern Japan or even those near Okinawa. And he expects people to support his party?

I wonder if he dreamt up that "People first" slogan while he was busy fleeing the Capitol after the Tohoku earthquake.

Ozawa no ato Kokumin no Seikatsu ga Daiichi (People’s Lives First After Ozawa)

Ive fixed it for you

Another year, another party. Someday, every Japanese will be the leader of their own party.

Oh no, not another shake up!

So he's taken his toys and moved to a new sandbox. Nothing new here.

http://www1.dpj.or.jp/media/poster/2008_poster01.pdf

Must of filed a trademark individually back in 2008.

The better known PLF is the Palestine LIberation Front, or will they call themselves the KSD - which does sound like a Korean pop-group?

Ah, Mr. Ozawa... Who knows more about the lives of ordinary people than a man who finds nothing strange about having hundreds of millions of yen lying around the house "just in case"? Who better to understand the plight of us regular folk than a politician who has barely stepped outside Nagata-cho in almost 40 years? The man certainly has a great sense of irony, I'll give him that much.

Kokumin no Seikatsu ga Daiichi (People’s Lives First)

Tell that to the people in Tohoku when back then you refused to work together with Kan's party towards "THE PEOPLE". His words: "first you quit the PM's position and then..."

People's Live's FIrst. What an insult.

OZAWA - The King of Boo Boo Me Bum Bum !!!!!

Since nobody is on the same page.( politicians) I will propose my own ideas on the new tax system of Japan. Just an idea !!!!

People who should be taxed more in Japan:

1) People who own apartment buildings ( crazy apartment fees, thank you fees etc ) Please tax these individuals who pocket Y 200000 - 300000 security deposit.

2) Tax people who own Luxury super cars ( tax them again and gain and again )_

3) Tax individuals making over 600000 yen a month_

4) If you own more than 3 houses, you should be taxed more and more and more and more ( Ozawa owns at least 5 houses )_

5) If you make under 300000 yen a month you should receive a tax break for 10 years._

if your a part time full time worker or temp worker. (prt -ft worker = whatever that means ) And you do not receive health benefits or receive sick days in your contract. You will be tax exempt for 20 years._

Rich / family of means - should pay more and more taxes than the average fool in Japan. If you do it !! Your country will grow if you do not. Time to put your whole head in an area that doesn't shine because Japan is heading towards the ___. ( Please add creative word to complete this sentence )

I regret Japan's political confusions. This is as a result for long Japanese people are indifferent about politics and the voters were not serious in choosing their representatives. They voted for comedians, actors and actresses, tv personalities, sons and grandsons of famous politicians etc. Also, in Japan, college professors voices are weak. We have to learn more from America about democracy.

It's so easy for him to say one thing and yet do another. He hit's on all the points that the public want to hear, to get their attention, but in the end everything comes down to one person and one person alone. Ozawa.

Sekatsu ga Daiichi?

Sounds like a Korean Pop-Group.

Anyway, Congratulations Ozawa on forming your twentieth party. There is a slight problem with your strategy though, every time you form a new party, you have less members than before. At this rate, by the time you are 90 you'll be the only one left.

"People's Lives First"

Or, Ozawa First.