November 17, 2012
The Democratic, the Liberal Democratic, and Komei parties took advantage of the confusion cast by the Lower House dissolution announced on November 16 to enact a bill to revise the Self-Defense Forces Act in order to improve the Japan-Australia Acquisition and Cross-Serving Agreement (ACSA) which allows the SDF and the Australian forces to share military equipment and services.
On top of this, the three parties on this day alone forced through the enactment of a bill to cut five seats in the Lower House single-seat constituencies, a bill to preserve discrepancies in vote weights reaching a level of 4.746 to 1, and a bill to cut national government workers’ retirement allowances by more than four million yen.
The DPJ-LDP-Komei clan brought these bills to the Upper House plenary session in just one day like an avalanche without proper prior-discussions in relevant committees of both Upper and Lower Houses. Regarding the Japan-Australia ACSA-related bill, the Lower House security committee did not even have discussions on it.
Some bills were passed through the Lower House plenary session on the previous day but it was only JCP Dietmembers who took the floor to oppose the bills at earlier committee meetings.
JCP representative Akamine Seiken at the Lower House Security Committee meeting strongly condemned the three parties for their backstage deal to send to the upper stage the bill on the revised-SDF law which is to beef up the Japan-Australia ACSA.
Akamine said, “It was only yesterday that today’s committee meeting (Nov. 15) was proposed to be held. We shouldn’t just have a quick look at the bill. What you are doing is taking advantage of the chaos triggered by the Lower House dissolution, and it is absolutely unacceptable.”
Akamine in opposition to the bill said, “At a time when Japan has an enormous deficit, why should it shoulder more military burdens? It is only because the United States in its strategy is imposing more burdens onto its allies’ shoulders.”
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Prime Minister Noda Yoshihiko has been seeking LDP cooperation in the Diet seat-cutting bills in return for his declaration of the Lower House dissolution to proceed to a general election. The LDP’s favorable response to Noda’s call brought about the dissolution on this day, and the DPJ and the LDP along with the Komei Party came to an agreement to come up with a conclusion next year as for cuts in the number of the Upper House seats.
The general election campaign, which began this day, will be held with the present electoral method although the Supreme Court rules that the existing vote-value disparity is unconstitutional.
On top of this, the three parties on this day alone forced through the enactment of a bill to cut five seats in the Lower House single-seat constituencies, a bill to preserve discrepancies in vote weights reaching a level of 4.746 to 1, and a bill to cut national government workers’ retirement allowances by more than four million yen.
The DPJ-LDP-Komei clan brought these bills to the Upper House plenary session in just one day like an avalanche without proper prior-discussions in relevant committees of both Upper and Lower Houses. Regarding the Japan-Australia ACSA-related bill, the Lower House security committee did not even have discussions on it.
Some bills were passed through the Lower House plenary session on the previous day but it was only JCP Dietmembers who took the floor to oppose the bills at earlier committee meetings.
JCP representative Akamine Seiken at the Lower House Security Committee meeting strongly condemned the three parties for their backstage deal to send to the upper stage the bill on the revised-SDF law which is to beef up the Japan-Australia ACSA.
Akamine said, “It was only yesterday that today’s committee meeting (Nov. 15) was proposed to be held. We shouldn’t just have a quick look at the bill. What you are doing is taking advantage of the chaos triggered by the Lower House dissolution, and it is absolutely unacceptable.”
Akamine in opposition to the bill said, “At a time when Japan has an enormous deficit, why should it shoulder more military burdens? It is only because the United States in its strategy is imposing more burdens onto its allies’ shoulders.”
* * *
Prime Minister Noda Yoshihiko has been seeking LDP cooperation in the Diet seat-cutting bills in return for his declaration of the Lower House dissolution to proceed to a general election. The LDP’s favorable response to Noda’s call brought about the dissolution on this day, and the DPJ and the LDP along with the Komei Party came to an agreement to come up with a conclusion next year as for cuts in the number of the Upper House seats.
The general election campaign, which began this day, will be held with the present electoral method although the Supreme Court rules that the existing vote-value disparity is unconstitutional.
