（1）

This Congress has reached the final proceedings. Allow me on behalf of the new Central Committee to say a word before closing the JCP 25th Congress.

This Party Congress has taken on the task of making the JCP future course clear and electing a leadership to implement it, in the midst of the favorable turbulent situation created by the end of the Liberal Democratic rule. Thanks to the efforts of the delegates and observers, the JCP 25th Congress has fulfilled its primary task, making the Congress a great success under the historical situation of rapid change.

The Congress brought about the Congress Resolution based on the collective wisdom of the whole party. This resolution is highly significant for the advancement of the JCP progress in two respects.

First, the Resolution will be a guideline for future JCP struggles, including the upcoming House of Councilors election. As described in the Central Committee Report to the Congress, the JCP’s three main tasks under the transitional situation constitute the main campaign themes to highlight the indispensable role of the JCP.

At the same time, the Congress Resolution provides more than the mere guideline for the immediate future. Adopted in the first year of a new decade, the Congress Resolution lays out a JCP action plan based on a mid-term vision for establishing a democratic coalition government. It defines the JCP’s tasks in a “new period” which we characterize as a transitional situation opened by people’s power in the last general election. To perform these tasks, it also calls for building a strong party through implementing the “growth and development targets.” The Congress thus puts the new JCP Program, adopted in the 23rd JCP Congress six years ago, into a concrete shape under the new political circumstances.

In this Congress, we have developed a policy that provides a guideline for forthcoming struggles and for party activities based on a mid-term vision, building on the Party Program.

Let us take this historic Congress Resolution to all party members immediately and put it into practice with vigor but without delay.

（2）

The JCP Congress has elected a new Central Committee that will be in the forefront of the implementation of this historic policy. The new Central Committee has established its new leadership structure.

The generational composition of the new Central Committee has changed significantly from the previous ones. In particular, we promoted many promising younger members as alternate Central Committee members.

Thirty five comrades, mainly in their 30’s and early 40’s, were newly selected as alternate Central Committee members. We made special efforts to select more women to be Central Committee members, raising their ratio to men. There is a high expectation that these younger members will learn from each other and mature politically and theoretically as well as individually.

In this way, the JCP 25th Congress successfully developed new action policies and established the new leadership structure that will work to implement those policies.

As the Chair of the new Central Committee, I express my resolve to do my utmost to encourage the new Central Committee to take initiatives to expand people’s support for the JCP and to earn trust from party branches and members, guided by the JCP Program and the Congress Resolution.

（3）

While our Congress was taking place, the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office raided the offices of the Rikuzankai, the organization handling the finances of DPJ Secretary General Ozawa Ichiro, and the major construction company Kajima Corporation which allegedly kicked in money to the Rikuzankai, in connection with the shady land purchase of Rikuzankai. And yesterday Ishikawa Tomohiro, a DPJ member of the House of Representatives, who is Mr. Ozawa's ex-secretary and a former administrator of Rikuzankai was arrested.

It is extremely serious that an office of the ruling party's secretary general was raided and his former secretaries, including a member of the Diet, were arrested. The allegations are about false statements in Mr. Ozawa’s political funds reports and the shady source of the 400 million yen paid for a land purchase by the Rikuzankai. Akahata reported on the alleged fact that at the same period of time as this land purchase, a person from Mizutani Construction Co., a mid-sized construction firm, had secretly delivered 100 million yen to Mr. Ozawa. It is suspected that illegal donations from construction companies partly funded the land purchase.

In addition to this, Mr. Ozawa is beset with many serious scandals, including a covert donation from Nishimatsu Construction Co. and his alleged involvement in awarding contracts for public works projects in return for donations to his office. There are also questions regarding the whereabouts of the 2.2 billion yen in leftover revenues when he dissolved the Japan Renewal Party (Shinseito) and the Liberal Party (Jiyuto), most of which was from government subsidies to both parties.

Nevertheless, Mr. Ozawa has refused to fulfil his obligation to explain the matter to the public. To our astonishment, he even insisted that because the public understood his situation, they gave the DPJ the mandate to rule. However, the suspicious land purchase deal by the Rikuzankai was brought to light after the general election. It is nothing but putting the cart before the horse when he argues that that people voted for the DPJ because they understood his position in regard to the suspicion that would surface after the election.

I strongly demand that the DPJ Secretary General Ozawa should explain the matter to the public responsibly. I also demand that the DPJ should exert its self-cleansing ability to clarify the allegations publicly. Even though the two topmost leaders of the DPJ (Hatoyama and Ozawa) are under clouds of suspicion, no one in the DPJ has admitted the need for investigation. Isn’t this outrageously irresponsible?

These scandals are involved with government public works projects where tax money was wasted and exploited for private gain, and with taxpayer’s money provided to political parties in the forms of government subsidies. It rings hollow when the DPJ promised to “eliminate the wasteful use of taxes,” without allowing an investigation of their own alleged misconduct.

The JCP will continue to demand a thorough investigation of the allegations within and outside the parliament. At the same time, the JCP will work to have corporate and organizational donations to political parties banned and have the system of government subsidies to political parties abolished, both of which we have refused to take.

（４）

This successful Congress has been made possible by the dedication and hard work by delegates, observers, and many supporting staff. On behalf of the new Central Committee, I would like to express my sincere thanks to everyone.

Dear comrades, we should feel invigorated to renew our efforts to increase our strength. The coming House of Councilors election in July will be the first political battle when the Congress decision will be put to the test. Now that we have reached the end of the Congress, let us pledge together to dedicate ourselves to lead the efforts to win a major advance in the coming election and to make the 2010s a historic decade marking the JCP’s advance.

With this, I declare the JCP 25th Party Congress closed.

－Akahata, January 17, 2010