Japan Press Weekly

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2007 February 7 - 13 TOP3 [POLITICS]

Our effort helped Diet session to normalize: JCP Ichida

The Lower House Budget Committee started deliberations on February 7 with ruling and opposition parties attending after their Diet policy commission chairs reached an agreement for normalizing the Diet session late the previous night.

The Diet session had been in an abnormal situation in which in the absence of the opposition parties the ruling Liberal Democratic and Komei parties pushed the FY 2006 supplementary budget through both Houses of the Diet.

At a Diet policy commission chairs meeting on February 6, Japanese Communist Party Policy Commission Chair Kokuta Keiji criticized the ruling parties for creating the abnormal Diet situation, and stated, “In order to avoid the abnormal situation setting a precedent, additional discussions on the supplementary budget are needed.”

The ruling parties agreed to hold additional discussions at the Lower House Budget Committee meeting on February 7 and 8.

The Democratic, Social Democratic, and People’s New parties had boycotted Diet discussions since January 31 claiming that they would not attend committee meetings and plenary sessions unless Prime Minister Abe Shinzo dismisses Welfare Minister Yanagisawa Hakuo for characterizing women as “birth-giving machines.”

The JCP opted to not boycott deliberations and strongly protested about the ruling parties forcibly holding committee meetings and plenary sessions to pass the supplementary budget in violation of the Diet rule. The JCP made its protest at the committee meetings, and then walked out.

In the effort to end the abnormal Diet situation, the JCP on February 5 and 6 requested the LDP and Komei Party Diet policy commission chairs to hold a meeting with their opposition party counterparts and proposed holding additional discussions on the supplementary budget in the committees of both Houses.

The ruling parties expressed their willingness to accept the JCP’s proposal of holding the policy commission chairs meeting. Regarding holding additional discussions, LDP Diet Policy Commission Chair Nikai Toshihiro said, “It is well worth paying attention. We will sincerely consider the proposal.”

Leaders of the Democratic, Social Democratic, and People’s New parties met at night on February 6 and agreed to attend Diet meetings to discuss the problems.

JCP Secretariat Head Ichida Tadayoshi held a press conference before dawn on February 7 and welcomed the outcome of the Diet policy commission chairs meeting, saying, “It was very good that our effort helped the Diet to normalize. The JCP’s proposals paved the way for normalization.”

“We will grill the government on every issue, including the Welfare Minister’s remarks, in Diet deliberations,” Ichida added.