Japan Future Party Leader Kada Says She Will Work With Japan Restoration Party's Toru Hashimoto

She says she has worked closely with Osaka City Mayor Toru Hashimoto, aka boy-wonder in this blog, and she will continue to do so in the national politics.

All right, very well said, Ms. Kada. People who are concerned about nuclear plants, radiation contamination, excessive power of the government, TPP, tax increase, tampering with the Constitution can now ditch your party without feeling bad.

So much for that "graduating from nuclear" slogan.

Also, she clearly wants to run for the Upper House and continue to receive salary as the governor of Shiga Prefecture.　The first thing she would therefore "amend" is Local Autonomy Law established in the same year as the Constitution, in 1947.

From Asahi Shinbun, reporting her words to the reporters in Tokyo (12/17/2012):

「橋下さんと共同行動、十分にある」嘉田・未来代表

"It is very likely that I will cooperate with Mr. Hashimoto", says Japan Future Party leader Kada

　知事と国会議員を兼務できないのは戦後、地方自治法をアメリカから輸入したから。フランスはもともと兼務が大前提。ドイツも（含め）ヨーロッパ型は地方の知事や市長が参議院を兼務するのは当然です。地方の声があがるから、政策も実行力のあるものができる。

The reason why a governor cannot also be a representative in the National Diet is simply because of the Local Autonomy Law imported from the United States after the World War II. In France, holding two offices concurrently is the principle. European systems including that of Germany allow local governors and mayors to be the members of the Upper House, as a matter of course. [National] government policies will become more actionable when the voices from the local government are reflected in the policies.


　今回、（日本維新の会代表代行の）橋下（徹）さんが「参議院との兼務を法律改正せえ」と（言った）。橋下さんと一緒に訴えていきたい。滋賀県民のみなさんに理解してほしいのは、県をおざなりにしているのではなく、よりよい県政をやるために提案をする。無駄遣い、縦割り、効率の悪い行政を押しつけられている。（橋下さんとは）今までも関西広域連合でずっと一緒にやってきた。（国政でも）共同行動をとることは十分にある。

In this election, Mr. (Toru) Hashimoto (Deputy Leader of Japan Restoration Party said) "Change the law that restricts concurrent serving in the Upper House." I will campaign for that change, together with Mr. Hashimoto. What I want the residents of Shiga Prefecture to understand is that I am not neglecting the prefecture. I will make suggestions [to the national government] for better government in Shiga. We are forced to operate with wasteful spending, vertical organizational structure and inefficiency. I have worked with (Mr. Hashimoto) for a long time in the Kansai Wide-Area Alliance [supra-prefectural body made of mayors and governors in Kansai]. It is very likely that I will cooperate with Mr. Hashimoto (in the national politics).

European readers, is she correct? Are your governors and mayors also your upper-house councilors?

It's really ironic of her to speak of "waste", when I recall it was her who cut the funding for the fixed stations that monitored radioactive materials and radiation levels because they were "wasteful".

Now that the alliance with Ichiro Ozawa has gone nowhere in the election, she is renewing the overture to the boy wonder.

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