October 17, 2012
Putting party interests before a mountain of pressing issues, the ruling Democratic Party of Japan, the Liberal Democratic and Komei parties, are playing political games regarding the next extraordinary Diet session.
Secretaries general of the three parties on October 15 met to discuss when to hold a special session of the Diet.
DPJ Secretary General Koshiishi Azuma asked his counterparts to cooperate with the ruling party for an early enactment of a bill to issue deficit-covering government bonds and a bill to revise the Lower House election system, suggesting the cooperation as a condition to convene a special session.
The secretaries general of the LDP and the Komei replied that unless they receive assurances from the prime minister regarding the dissolution of the House of Representatives for a general election by the end of the year, they refuse to offer such cooperation.
A growing number of people are concerned about the consumption tax hike coming into force in two years, the withdrawal from nuclear power, and the Osprey deployment to Okinawa’s Futenma base. Deterioration of relations between Japan and China as well as between Japan and South Korea due to territorial disputes began affecting the Japanese economy. Furthermore, issues of cozy ties between the justice minister and organized crime group members and diversion of the budget allocated for the post-3.11 disaster recovery have also emerged.
However, even though the reshuffled Noda Cabinet was formed at the beginning of the month, an extraordinary Diet session in which the prime minister delivers his policy speech was yet to be convened.
Japanese Communist Party Secretariat Head Ichida Tadayoshi on the same day at a press conference said, “The prime minister should convene an extraordinary Diet session without delay. The JCP will work hard to present key issues to the public through Diet deliberation and have a snap election held as soon as possible.”
Secretaries general of the three parties on October 15 met to discuss when to hold a special session of the Diet.
DPJ Secretary General Koshiishi Azuma asked his counterparts to cooperate with the ruling party for an early enactment of a bill to issue deficit-covering government bonds and a bill to revise the Lower House election system, suggesting the cooperation as a condition to convene a special session.
The secretaries general of the LDP and the Komei replied that unless they receive assurances from the prime minister regarding the dissolution of the House of Representatives for a general election by the end of the year, they refuse to offer such cooperation.
A growing number of people are concerned about the consumption tax hike coming into force in two years, the withdrawal from nuclear power, and the Osprey deployment to Okinawa’s Futenma base. Deterioration of relations between Japan and China as well as between Japan and South Korea due to territorial disputes began affecting the Japanese economy. Furthermore, issues of cozy ties between the justice minister and organized crime group members and diversion of the budget allocated for the post-3.11 disaster recovery have also emerged.
However, even though the reshuffled Noda Cabinet was formed at the beginning of the month, an extraordinary Diet session in which the prime minister delivers his policy speech was yet to be convened.
Japanese Communist Party Secretariat Head Ichida Tadayoshi on the same day at a press conference said, “The prime minister should convene an extraordinary Diet session without delay. The JCP will work hard to present key issues to the public through Diet deliberation and have a snap election held as soon as possible.”
