Japan Press Weekly

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2018 July 18 - 24 TOP3 [POLITICS]

Shii: JCP contributes to developing opposition parties’ joint struggle in ordinary Diet session

The Japanese Communist Party and five other opposition parties on July 20 submitted to the House of Representatives a no-confidence motion against the Abe Cabinet, which was voted down by the ruling Liberal Democratic and Komei parties with the use of their majority.

Prior to the submission, leaders of the six opposition parties held a meeting and resolved to keep working together side-by-side with concerned citizens who are angry with the Abe government.

On the day, the ordinary session of the Diet effectively closed. The JCP parliamentarians’ group held a general meeting. JCP Chair Shii Kazuo spoke about the role that the JCP lawmakers played during the latest Diet session and about the party’s contribution to the opposition parties’ joint struggle. He called for efforts to win seats in the House of Councilors and simultaneous local elections scheduled for next year.

Concerning the no-confidence motion against the Abe Cabinet, Shii said that the six opposition parties submitted the motion in response to people’s call for a change in government.

Shii noted that in the ordinary Diet session, the JCP played a leading role in deliberations on key issues such as the Moritomo and Kake scandals, the work-style reform package bills, and the casino implementation bill. Regarding the Moritomo and Kake scandals in particular, the JCP made good use of information sent from a number of whistleblowers and worked to reveal the facts.

Shii also said that the JCP parliamentarians made a big contribution to the development of the opposition parties’ collaborative efforts. He noted that the opposition parties jointly held 118 hearings on 11 themes and organized eight rallies in the Diet building. Shii added that the JCP together with other opposition parties submitted to the Diet 20 bills, including a bill to end nuclear power generation and a bill to revise the law on support for disaster victims.

Shii stressed that the joint efforts among the six opposition parties and concerned citizens achieved two aims: the removal of the government plan to expand the discretionary work system from the work-style reform package bills and blocking the Abe government from initiating an amendment to Article 9 of the Constitution in the latest Diet session. He stressed that this dealt a heavy blow to Prime Minister Abe Shinzo who seeks to propose a constitutional amendment by the end of this year.

Past related articles:
> Opposition force jointly submits bill to support victims of sexual violence [June 12, 2018]
> 6 opposition parties jointly submit bill to revive seed act [April 20, 2018]