October 22, 2009

Japanese Communist Party House of Councilors members’ group leader Koike Akira on October 21 met with the House chair Eda Satsuki and requested an increase in time to interpellate in committees and Diet sessions for small parties with less than 10 seats.

Stating that the public will pay special attention to Prime Minister Hatoyama Yukio’s policy speech at the coming extraordinary Diet session on October 26 as he makes the new government’s basic position clear for the first time after the change of government, Koike requested that the JCP be given more interpellation time than before to make the discussion more meaningful.

The JCP also called for the removal of the present ban on small groups with less than 10 seats from being represented in committees and attending budget committee directors meetings as observers.
- Akahata, October 22, 2009