Japan Press Weekly

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2014 May 7 - 13 [POLITICS]

Pro-amendment lawmakers hold perfunctory discussion on referendum bill regarding constitutional revision

In a half-empty committee room, one person was taking a nap and another was secretly reading a book during deliberations on a bill to amend the act on the national referendum regarding constitutional revision. Almost all members of the Lower House Commission on the Constitution acted disinterested.

At a meeting of the commission on May 8, while gallery seats were filled with citizens opposing constitutional revision, there was no atmosphere of tension. All commission members, except a Japanese Communist Party lawmaker, supported the bill.

Of all 50 commission members, only 25 were present at the meeting only to meet the requirement for a quorum. One of the LDP members was sound asleep, and a Japan Restoration Party member secretly read a book behind his desk.

JCP Kasai Akira, at the beginning of his question time, criticized the fact that many LDP members were absent from the meeting. Commission Chairman Hori Kosuke who belongs to the LDP replied, “I got your point. I will take up the issue in the next meeting of the commission secretaries.”

Kasai had already made a similar complaint at the April 22 meeting at which many LDP members were absent, but his words were not heeded.

At the May 8 meeting, ignoring unsworn witnesses calling for further discussions on the bill, all parties other than the JCP took a vote on it. Such a high-handed manner by the advocates of constitutional revision will inevitably attract public criticism.