Japan Press Weekly

Tweet

2015 September 16 - 29 [POLITICS]

LDP and Komei forcibly enact war legislation

The unconstitutional war bills which will help turn Japan into a war-fighting nation were railroaded through the House of Councilors plenary session and became law before dawn on September 19 with the majority vote of the Liberal Democratic and Komei parties.

The Japanese Communist Party, the Democratic Party of Japan, the Innovation Party, the People’s Life Party, and the Social Democratic Party voted against the bills. Prior to the vote, the five opposition parties jointly submitted a no-confidence motion against the Cabinet and condemned the outrageous actions of the ruling parties.

In the late night hours on the previous day, JCP lawmaker Daimon Mikishi took the floor of the House of Councilors in support of a censure motion put forth against Konoike Yoshitada, the chairman of the House special committee on the government-sponsored security legislation. Early the following morning, JCP Vice Chair Koike Akira in the Diet deliberation assumed a role as the last speaker opposing the war legislation.

Many citizens and organizations have been involved in protests and demonstrations every day outside the Diet building. The chorus of protests continued even from the morning of September 18 until the early morning of September 19 when the situation in the Diet became very tense.

The government and the ruling parties put forth the two bills involving eleven laws to be discussed as one package. During the debates in both chambers of the Diet, the unconstitutionality and dangerous nature of these bills became readily apparent, causing frequent changes in government statements.

Opinion polls carried out by news media immediately after the forcible enactment of the war legislation show that 70-80% of respondents think that the government and the ruling parties “did not offer sufficient explanation to the public” regarding the controversial legislation.

Those who gave a “not enough” response accounted for 82% of respondents in the Yomiuri, 78% in the Mainichi, 78% in the Nikkei, 74% in the Asahi, and 81.6% in Kyodo News.

Past related article:
> Shii condemns railroading of war bills [September 18, 2015]