ニュース 2009/10/13 First meeting of new Executive Committee held, agrees to embark on Diet reform during forthcoming Diet session On October 13, the fist Executive Committee to be convened under the authority of Secretary General Ichiro Ozawa was held at party headquarters. During the meeting Ozawa commented on the future management of the party, emphasising his intention of cooperating with Acting Secretary General Koshiishi in the running of the party by saying: “With a view toward next year’s House of Councillors election, I will be travelling around the country more frequently while the Diet is in session. At such times, I will leave all the duties of Secretary General in the hands of Acting Secretary General Koshiishi (Chair of the DPJ Caucus in the House of Councillors), and I ask for your understanding on this point.” Ozawa went on to say “If we are to aim for ‘freedom from bureaucratic control” we must first change the situation in which the Diet is controlled by bureaucrats.” He revealed that he had confirmed with Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirofumi Hirano the DPJ’s intention of embarking on Diet reform starting from the forthcoming Diet session, which is to be convened in the latter half of this month. In relation to this, Ozawa said that he would submit a draft proposal regarding the three topics of Diet debate, election campaigning and political funding to the Congressional Forum for New Japan (21st Century Rincho) and to ask them to carry out prompt discussion and drafting of a report on these issues. He expressed his intention of implementing this proposal at an early date, saying, “I would like to have a legislative amendment, which will entail the abolition of the system wherein bureaucrats are able to testify at Diet committee meetings, and a shift to debate between Diet members, passed during the forthcoming extraordinary Diet session, and implemented from the ordinary Diet session.”