April 25 & 26, 2008

At the meeting of the House of Councilors Foreign Relations and Security Committee on April 24, opposition parties, including the Japanese Communist, Democratic, and Social Democratic parties, voted down the so-called “sympathy budget” bill to extend the Japan-U.S. special agreement to have Japan continue to pay for the stationing of U.S. forces in Japan for another three years.

This is the first time that a House of the Diet rejected a treaty under the present Japanese Constitution.

At the House of Councilors Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defense, JCP representative Inoue Satoshi emphasized, “The new agreement is unacceptable because it even violates the principle of the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement that provides that expenses of the U.S. bases in Japan should be paid by the U.S.”

Criticizing the government for reducing government expenditures for improving living standards and for introducing the discriminatory medical system for the elderly aged 75 and over, Inoue said, “The government is giving ‘sympathy’ to the wrong party.”
- Akahata, April 25, 2008

* * *

The House of Representatives on April 25 exercised the constitutional right to override the House of Councilors decision in order to approve the special agreement by a two-thirds majority.
- Akahata, April 26 2008