ニュース 2009/04/15 Opposition Diet Affairs chiefs discuss Upper House response to anti-piracy and Consumer Agency legislation On April 15, the Diet Affairs chiefs of the DPJ, the Social Democratic Party and the People’s New Party held a meeting inside the Diet. Following the meeting, DPJ Diet Affairs Committee Chair Kenji Yamaoka informed reporters that they had discussed the opposition’s Upper House response to proposed legislation regarding the anti-piracy measures off the coast of Somalia and the establishment of a Consumer Agency. Yamaoka began by referring to the discussion regarding the anti-piracy measures. He reported that since it had been thought desirable for the three opposition parties to agree on a joint stance as far as possible prior to entering discussions on amendments with the ruling parties, the discussion had centred on this point. He explained that “Anti-piracy measures should normally be conducted by the Japan Coast Guard, and it is an overarching principle that the Japan Coast Guard should prepare to deal with this situation, but this way of thinking is totally different from that of the ruling parties, whose stance is that dispatching the SDF is the be all and end all.” Furthermore, Yamaoka added that considering the current situation and the current level of pirate activity off the coast of Somalia, the opposition parties would meet once more on April 17 to discuss potential amendments to the legislation, such as having the SDF dispatched on a temporary basis at the request of the Japan Coast Guard until the environment is such that the Coast Guard is able to respond, and having the Diet give prior approval to any dispatches. This would be with a view to engaging in discussions regarding an amendment with the ruling parties in the following week. With regard to the legislation for establishing a Consumer Agency, Yamaoka said that since the ruling and opposition parties had come to an agreement on amendments to the legislation in the House of Representatives, the opposition parties had confirmed that there was no need to establish a separate Special Committee in the House of Councillors to discuss the legislation and that it could be discussed in the Committee on Cabinet.