Japan Press Weekly

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2015 May 13 - 19 TOP3 [POLITICS]

Abe Cabinet submits war bills to Diet amid backlash from opposition parties

The Abe government on May 15 submitted a set of war bills to the Diet, following the Cabinet approval of the bills on the previous day. The Japanese Communist Party and other opposition parties all expressed opposition to the early start of Diet discussions on the controversial bills.

JCP Diet Policy Commission Chair Kokuta Keiji (House of Representatives) stated, “The submission of the bills itself is unacceptable because they are nothing but outright war bills undermining the peaceful principles of the Constitution. The JCP will strive to have the bills scraped.”

Kokuta stressed the need for careful national discussions on these bills as they would demolish the very foundation of postwar Japan’s pacifism. Regarding Prime Minister Abe referring to those war bills as “peace and security” legislation, the JCP Diet affairs chief criticized, “By referring to it as peace bills, he is desperately trying to deceive the general public.”

The JCP, the Democratic Party of Japan, the Japan Innovation Party, the Social Democratic Party, and the People’s Life Party share the same recognition that they have to block the passage of this package of bills and that a wide range of national discussions are necessary as this legislation is a vital important issue which will affect the course of the country.

Past related article:
> Yamashita: JCP will increase its efforts to scrap war legislation-related bills [May 12, 2015]