Japan Press Weekly

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2020 May 20 - 26 [POLITICS]

Opposition parties will oppose passage of constitutional referendum bill during current session

Opposition parties, including the Japanese Communist Party and the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, on May 20 reaffirmed that they will work together to oppose the ruling coalition's intent to pass a revision to the constitutional national referendum law during the current session of the Diet.

Earlier, secretaries-general/Diet affairs committee chairpersons of the Liberal Democratic Party and Komei Party held a meeting and confirmed that they will take a vote on the bill to revise the national referendum law in the Lower House Commission on the Constitution in order to steamroller through the bill during the ongoing session.

In response, the opposition parties also held a conference of Diet affairs committee chiefs in the Diet building and agreed upon a concerted action to be taken to prevent the holding of a meeting of the Constitution Commission itself, making a strong protest against the ruling parties' attempt to forcibly take a vote on the bill.

JCP representative Kokuta Keiji said, "The Constitution Research Council is a place for draft revisions to the Constitution to be proposed. Most people, however, think that debate on constitutional amendments is not needed now. So, there is no need at all for a Constitution Commission meeting to be convened."

CDPJ lawmaker Azumi Jun criticized the ruling block for "having absolutely no common sense" and for striving to take a vote on the national referendum bill which could lead to constitutional change when COVID-19 countermeasures should take priority.

Past related article:
> LDP’s use of COVID-19 crisis for constitutional revision to introduce ‘emergency provision’ unforgivable [April 16, 2020]
> JCP Koike on LDP presidential race: Abe's victory won't mean public approval of constitutional revision [August 28, 2018]
> Abe spurs his party to submit its draft constitution to Diet this fall August 14, 2018]