Japan Press Weekly

Tweet

2017 March 15 - 21 [POLITICS]

JCP Koike: Legislation for Emperor’s abdication should be established based on Constitution

Japanese Communist Party Secretariat Head Koike Akira on March 17 at a meeting convened by chairs and vice chairs of both houses of the Diet said that legislation allowing for the Emperor’s abdication should be in accordance with the Constitution.

The chairs and vice chairs of both chambers organized a series of meetings to gather opinions from all political parties and groups in the Diet regarding the abdication issue. On this day, at the last round of the meetings, they presented their report which proposes accepting the resignation of the present Emperor (Tenno) by establishing a special law.

JCP Koike stressed that the current situation where the Emperor has to keep working despite his old age totally goes against the fundamental constitutional principle of respecting the dignity of each individual, and said that he should be allowed to step down.

Furthermore, Koike said that legislation permitting the emperor’s resignation should be established based on the Constitution and not the Emperor’s intent. He added that such legislation should comply with constitutional provisions and follow the “will of the people with whom resides sovereign power”.

Koike also demanded that future discussions on this issue should be held independently from the report.

Past related articles:
> JCP: Abdication option should not be limited to present Emperor [March 9, 2017]
> JCP Koike on Emperor’s abdication issue: Diet discussion fully reflecting public opinion is necessary [January 20, 2016]