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2008/12/09
4 Opposition Parties Diet Affairs Committee Chairs Meet and Discuss Diet Strategy Following the Receipt of LDP Request
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On the afternoon of December 9, DPJ Diet Affairs Committee Chair Kenji Yamaoka met inside the Diet with his counterparts from other opposition parties to hold discussions on a request received from LDP Diet Affairs Committee Chair Tadamori Oshima.
Following the meeting, Yamaoka told the press that in response to the LDP request the opposition parties had made the following demands: (1) The LDP should agree to explain the nature of the Consumer Agency Related Bill and establish special committees based on an awareness that it will be impossible to pass the bill before the end of the current Diet session, (2) On the issue of the Self Defense Forces Salary Law, committee discussion should be held on the morning of December 12, with a Plenary Session vote in the afternoon followed by a meeting of Diet Affairs Committee Chairs from the ruling and opposition parties at 17:30 on the evening of the same day. Yamaoka explained that the opposition parties were not refusing to debate the Consumer Services Agency Related Bill itself. Rather, if the debate on the Bill should be held at all, the opposition parties had asked for the extension of the current Diet session in order to allow the discussion to be completed. He pointed out that the ruling coalition had not complied.
The 4 opposition parties agreed that even if a special House of Representatives committees were established, debate would not be completed by the end of the Current Diet session, and that it was not advisable to continue without establishing committees on important bills in the House of Councilors as well. Yamaoka also said that after their meeting the 4 Diet Affairs Committee Chairs responded to the LDP that they would be prepared to hear an explanation of the Bill, establish committees, put the bill on the agenda and begin debate at the ordinary Diet session next year. In response to this, he added, LDP Diet Affairs Committee Chair Oshima had said that he would ask for another reply when the ruling coalition and opposition party Diet Affairs Committee Chairs met together at a scheduled meeting on December 15.
The LDP proposed that the general direction for scheduling of the ordinary Diet session next year should be on the agenda at the December 15 meeting, and in response to this, Yamaoka said that he expected discussions of scheduling to start on December 15 in the Standing Committee on Rules and Administration.
He also reported that the opposition party Diet Affairs Chairs had analyzed and discussed other issues in preparation for the ordinary Diet session.
Yamaoka was asked by the press about the oppositions’ policies for dealing with the second supplementary budget which is scheduled to be submitted to the ordinary Diet session next year. He replied that even if the government makes fixed amount payments of 2 trillion yen, the measure will have little effect and the public will have a dim view of it, and that the opposition parties have agreed to continue to vociferously oppose the move.
He also pointed out that every year the government adopts a "hostage strategy" by submitting budget proposals which combine measures that must be passed for the sake of the public with measures that should be opposed. He strongly urged the government to stop this practice of holding people's livelihoods to ransom. He reiterated the need to rapidly pass a budget that contributes to people's livelihoods which can be agreed upon by both ruling and opposition parties and to instigate a separate debate on issues where the opinions of ruling and opposition parties differ.
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