Ruling coalition rams education bill through Upper House committee

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Ruling coalition rams education bill through Upper House committee

The ruling Liberal Democratic and Komei parties on December 14 rammed through the House of Councilors Special Committee a bill to adversely revise the Fundamental Law of Education which the Abe Cabinet attaches prime importance to.

Immediately after this meeting's question period by representatives of opposition parties ended, an LDP committee member suddenly put forward an urgent motion to close the discussion, and the ruling camp put the bill to a vote even without giving members the chance to express their opinion.

When the motion to close the discussion was submitted at the committee meeting, JCP representative Inoue Satoshi and other opposition party members rushed up to the committee chair to protest.

Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo joined a rally held outside the Diet Building and expressed strong protest. Pointing out that opposition parties did not agree to take the vote and that at the time of voting even the prime minister was absent from the committee meeting, Shii severely criticized the ruling parties for making such an outrageous move.

Shii stressed that the public is demanding a prudent and thorough discussion on the bill, and that the government has totally failed to respond to criticism that the bill violates freedom of thought and the Constitution.

"A bill that significantly affects children must not be passed simply by force of the majority," Shii said. He went on to say that the JCP will make utmost efforts in order to get the bill scrapped.

The JCP secretariat head and secretary generals of the three other opposition parties later in the day agreed that they will use every possible means, including the submission of a no-confidence motion against the Abe Cabinet, in order to prevent the bill from being passed.
- Akahata, December 15, 2006