The Seven Damning Sins of Soka Gakkai-Komeito

Force-My-Way Dietman

In the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly Election of July l3~ 1969, Komeito committed a colossal blunder. Komeito had frequently been accused of election law violations. but this time they did something which we may say was most inconsiderate. To Komeito, whose slogan is "clean election," this could be very damaging.  For what reason, I do not know, the matter was never made public.
This was a case of violence which was caused when voters tried to vote forcibly after the polls were supposed to be closed and occurred at the fourth voting place of Nerima Ward for the election of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assemblyman.
Although Article 40 of the Election Law For Public Officials says: "Voting shall be carried on from seven in the morning to six in the evening," two people showed up at the voting place after voting time, and after repeated and lengthy arguments with the clerks in charge, the two acquiesced and left, only to return again, this time with about ten others. The group began shouting and clamoring: "Why are you obstructing the voting?"  "Who is the responsible person?". "We demand to see the administrator," and subjected those in charge to a "kangaroo court.
Had the matter ended there, nothing further would have come of it, but it so happened that a man in the crowd stepped forward, identifying himself as a Komeito ward assemblyman, so the matter became complicated.  This ward assemblyman was indeed a Komeito assemblyman, and he sharply reprimanded the head official of the Election Administration Committee. Although this is a rather unusual occurrence, as a symbol of Komeito's way of operating, it is necessary to take note of it. After much wrangling, the Election Administration Committee members were jostled by the crowd, and treated severely, but the ward assemblyman looked on indifferently, or worse, seems to have agitated the situation.  This is the attitude of a ward assemblyman from Komeito, whose slogan is: "Everyone's Party - Komeito."  If he is an assemblyman of a public party, he should take into consideration Article 40 of the Election Law for Public Officials.  He should be severely restrained for using his privilege of office as a ward assemblyman in such an oppressive manner.  This is the lowest in morality.  As to this affair, some have already been arrested, and the judicial authorities will bring out the facts, but by no stretch of the imagination is this conduct becoming a public party.  Just how serious this affair was, can be clearly seen in the special statement which the Nerima Ward Election Administration Committee issued immediately. Since too much space would be required to introduce this matter fully, for the sake of information, I will quote the statement:
The Declaration
To The People of This Ward:
When elections for Tokyo Metropolitan Assemblymen were held on July 13, in the Toyotama Second Primary School, which served as the fourth voting place, the following disgraceful event took place:
After the time for voting had expired, two voters requested permission to vote. This request was refused by the administrator of the voting place. Then a crowd of people, unrelated to this matter, gathered and assaulted and threatened the superintendents of the poll, the voting witnesses, and the clerical employees, and confined them and detained the ballot boxes for about four hours. However, due to the proper action of the Election Administration Committee and its secretariat, the ballot counting was carried out the next day without hindrance.
Elections are one of the strongest supports of democracy in Japan, and the proceedures, with respect to the election laws for public officials and also to public morality, must be correct and fair. Before the time the balloting begins and after it ends, no one has the right to vote. If this proceedure is treated loosely, it would most likely result in a the loss of raison d'etre of the electoral system itself.
In Japanese history, before the election system came into existence, many pioneers and public figures fell in the struggles for freedom and democracy. Today's election system is a valuable system which was established through their sacrifices, and it is a system which must always be observed with reverence. In the present~day, it is said that democracy is endangered and that Japan itself is standing where the road divides between democracy and violence.
To all the people of this ward:
The Election Administration Committee and the Secretariat, positively affirm that we absolutely deny violence and we swear to fairly and precisely protect the election system and it's proceedures which are the essence of democracy.
Our action in refusing to permit voting after hours was absolutely correct, and we ask that you fully understand the strictne~~ of this proceedure. We again swear to you that we will not allow such scandalous violations, and with your help will firmly protect democracy
in Japan.
Finally, in regard to this disgraceful affair, we demand that those who assaulted, threatened, aided and abetted, severely contemplate their conduct and we sincerely seek forgiveness from those concerned who were injured by this affair."
July, 1969.    Nerima-Ward Election Administration Committee.

Concerning this affair, in a full session of the Nerima Ward Assembly, the problem was brought up and resulted in various discussions.  During the discussions, a certain member of the assembly, asked that the full story concerning the scandal be revealed in the meeting, at which time, the Komeito member, in the middle of the speech, made an urgent proposal to halt the speech, and tried to make him hold his tongue.  At present, "The Special Committee To Investigate The Safety Of Poll Officials In Elections was set up and in the committee the whole matter is being discussed."
Furthermore, the fact that this affair was tangled by a Komeito member who advocates such slogans as: "Buddhistic Democracy  and "Human Socialism" makes us have serious doubts about their grace and qualifications.
In spite of this, much money flows into Soka Gakkai, the backbone of this party, just as before, and all their members, forgetting sleeping and eating, give their service in elections. For this reason, the election expenditures are so small that there is no comparison to those of the other parties.  The other parties view all of this with great envy.  The usual labor costs which others have to pay as a matter of course, cost them nothing, and with the collected offerings of money which are increasing steadily, an imposing temple, buildings for Soka Gakkai, and deluxe buildings for Komeito are built.
The rational management of modern business has been disturbed by the Soka Gakkai styled irrational method of business which is lacking in content.  It must be said that the sin of prospering by empty work is posing a big problem for our society.  When empty business prospers and real business is not prosperous, regarding this from the point of view of the unbalance in society, we are left with a serious problem.