Japan Press Weekly

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2016 November 16 - 22 TOP3 [POLITICS]

JCP stands against extension of current Diet session: JCP Koike

Japanese Communist Party Secretariat Head Koike Akira on November 21 held a press conference in the Diet building and said that the JCP will stand firm against the extension of the current Diet session as the proposal for extension is only for the purpose of steamrolling through all the adverse bills under consideration.

Koike, in reply to questions by the press corps, clarified the JCP position on the question of the ongoing call from within the ruling parties that the parliamentary recess which is slated for November 30 be postponed so that they can railroad through the bill on Japan’s TPP ratification, the other free-trade relevant bills, and the pension-cut bill.

Koike pointed out that all parties in the first place must carry out thorough discussions during a set time period of the Diet session on proposed bills, and that bills that fail to reach a consensus are automatically scrapped. “This is the way the Diet should operate,” he said.

Koike, who is also a member of the House of Councilors, criticized the ruling Liberal Democratic and Komei parties for trying to prolong the session in order to enact all the harmful bills in a forcible manner.

Regarding the pension-cut bill, Koike said that the government has not sufficiently explained to the public about the extent of the reduction in pension benefits, adding, “The four opposition parties have already joined together a concerted effort to have the bill discarded. The JCP will continue to work to have in-depth deliberations in the Diet until the bills are withdrawn.”

Koike also commented on the TPP-related bills, including the issue of the controversial ISDS provisions. He said, “The more we discuss, the more problematic concerns come to the surface. The Diet should listen to public opinion in the upcoming public hearing. Based on opinions offered, we in the Diet should deepen our discussions anew.”