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Japan PM defends casino Bill in debate, hopes to create jobs

TOKYO — Prime Minister Shinzo Abe yesterday defended his party’s push to legalise casino gambling in Japan and his handling of plans to reform labour practices, responding to criticism from Democratic Party chief Renho Murata in their first leaders’ debate in Parliament since the latter took the reins of the largest opposition party in September.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is pushing to legalise casino gambling in the country, despite opposition parties’ concerns about potential gambling-related problems.

Photo: Reuters

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is pushing to legalise casino gambling in the country, despite opposition parties’ concerns about potential gambling-related problems.

Photo: Reuters

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TOKYO — Prime Minister Shinzo Abe yesterday defended his party’s push to legalise casino gambling in Japan and his handling of plans to reform labour practices, responding to criticism from Democratic Party chief Renho Murata in their first leaders’ debate in Parliament since the latter took the reins of the largest opposition party in September.

Mr Abe said casinos would make up a small part of the proposed “integrated resorts” and the rest would consist of other facilities, “which will bring about growth by inviting various sorts of investment and creating jobs”.

The Bill to allow the establishment of the casino resorts, sponsored by a group of lawmakers mainly from Mr Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), is under debate in the Upper House after speedy deliberations in the Lower House. Democratic Party lawmakers had walked out on the Lower House vote in protest.

“Foreign tourist numbers have doubled under the Abe administration, having gone from 8 million (in 2012) to 20 million (in 2016), and as we aim for 40 million by 2020, these integrated resorts will be able to be enjoyed by families, not just (used) for business activities or conferences,” Mr Abe said.

Ms Renho criticised the potential of the casino Bill to lead to fuelling gambling-related and other social problems. Mr Abe said the LDP had made efforts to get the agreement of all parties in Parliament before voting on the casino Bill.

The opposition leader said the LDP has essentially rammed through a series of contentious Bills in the current extraordinary Diet session set to end Dec 14, including a Bill to ratify the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact and another to reform Japan’s pension system, as well as the casino Bill.

“Saying you’ve never steamrolled (a Bill) — you tell lies just (as easily) as you breathe,” she said.

Ms Renho, meanwhile, accused Mr Abe of not having given the same urgent attention as the casino Bill to a measure sponsored by Democratic Party lawmakers to reform Japan’s labour practices. She cited the suicide last year of a 24-year-old employee of advertising giant Dentsu Incorporated, which was subsequently recognised as being due to overwork.

“You hurried and steamrolled the lawmaker-sponsored casino Bill (in the Lower House) in five hours and 33 minutes, so why, if the issue of overwork is already that organised, are we not deliberating it in the Diet?” Ms Renho said.

“I’m not a dictator,” Mr Abe replied, saying his administration is in the middle of serious discussions on labour law reform.

“I’ve expressed a new resolve to move ahead with reforming working practices so that (the Dentsu employee’s suicide) is never repeated,” he said.

Mr Abe also defended his administration’s fiscal policies, saying the primary role of government is to create jobs.

“(Our role) is to make sure those who want to work, can work,” he said, saying his administration has created one million jobs and significantly increased tax revenue since taking power from the Democratic Party of Japan, the Democratic Party’s predecessor, in 2012.

Ms Renho argued that the Abe administration’s push to restore Japan’s fiscal health has failed, citing a reported cut of around ¥1.9 trillion (S$23 billion) to the government’s tax revenues for the current fiscal year.

Mr Toranosuke Katayama, who leads the opposition Nippon Ishin no Kai party, also engaged in a one-to-one debate with Mr Abe.

Mr Abe is scheduled to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin next week in Japan, aiming to make progress on negotiations to resolve a row over a chain of islands controlled by Russia but claimed by Japan and conclude a decades-delayed bilateral peace treaty.

Mr Katayama questioned whether Mr Abe and Mr Putin might have different goals for their meeting, citing Mr Putin’s recent suggestion to carry out joint economic activities on the islands.

“This is not such a simple issue that can be resolved in just one meeting,” Mr Abe responded. KYODO

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