Three parties jointly request Upper House president to allow sufficient question time

   The Japanese Communist, Social Democratic, and People’s New parties on September 5 jointly made representations to House of Councilors President Eda Satsuki requesting that the House allow small parties to fully participate in the parliamentary administration and give them opportunities to question the government.

On behalf of the JCP, House of Councilors Members’ Group Chair Koike Akira and Diet Policy Commission Chair Inoue Satoshi took part in this action.

   The three parties called on the House of Councilors to allocate parties with less than 10 members in the House a seat in its Committee of Rules and Administration and provide them with question times in the plenary sessions.

   They requested the president to allow them in the next extraordinary Diet session to question about Prime Minister Abe Shinzo about his first policy speech after the House of Councilors election and the reshuffle of his cabinet.

   - Akahata, September 6, 2007