Japan Press Weekly

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2014 June 18 - 24 [POLITICS]

Ordinary Diet session closes with back-to-back enactment of bad laws

The 186th ordinary Diet session closed on June 20 after enacting bad laws in succession on the one hand but at the same time showing some positive moves, pressed by public opinion, such as the scrapping of the bill to adversely revise the Worker Dispatch Law and the enactment of the “karoshi” prevention law.

At the very end of the session, the Japanese Communist Party together with other six opposition forces submitted to both chambers a censure motion against Environment Minister Ishihara Nobuteru for his “Fukushima for cash” gaffe. The ruling parties, however, used their force of numbers to reject the motion.

All JCP Dietmembers took the Diet rostrum, delivering 24 speeches in total which created tension in the Diet atmosphere. The JCP, in last year’s Upper House plenary session, was able to step up to the platform only three times.

JCP Chair Shii Kazuo on the same day had a JCP Dietmembers’ meeting in the Diet building and expressed his appreciation for their role in widely making known to the general public the real purpose of the move to enact the collective defense right which is to draw Japan into war by enabling the SDF to provide military assistance in combat zones.

Shii said that while other opposition parties were eager just to prop up the Abe government, the JCP remained firm in confronting the Liberal Democratic Party, presenting counterproposals, and making joint efforts with the general public.

As for popular movements and JCP cooperation with them, he reported that they have significantly developed in a wavelike fashion, specifically in the efforts to oppose the state secrets law, defend the Constitution, promote a nonnuclear-energy Japan, seek improvement in social security programs, and block adverse revision of labor legislation. The JCP chair expressed his determination that the party will continue working to contribute to advancing these movements.


Past related articles:
> Requirements for national referendum on constitutional revisions eased [June 14, 2014]
> Bill to allow local gov’t heads to interfere in education enacted [June 14, 2014]