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On June 11, Hideo Hiraoka, Chair of the Administration Committee, received a courtesy call from Vladimir Pligin, Chairman of the Committee on the Constitutional Legislation of the federal assembly of the Russian Federation, who is a key player in progressing relations between Japan and United Russia. The meeting was also attended by Issei Tajima, Director-General of the International Department, and Shinkun Haku and Shino Aihara, Vice Directors-General of the International Department. During the call, procedures of party-to-party exchanges between the DPJ and United Russia were discussed.
At the start of the meeting, Hiraoka noted that some Parliament members from the DPJ participated in the party conferences of United Russia last year in September and November, and this year in May. There have been numerous discussions about mutually promoting exchanges, and, based on the consultations that have taken place so far, Hiraoka said, “in order to further bring forward such actions, we would like to make concrete proposals regarding exchanges”. He also explained the ideas of the DPJ regarding the establishment of a joint meeting body for the party-to-party exchanges, the persons eligible for the exchanges, the location and the frequency of the exchanges, the content of the exchanges, and the point of contact for the exchanges.
In response to this, Chairman Pligin expressed his appreciation for the concrete proposals submitted by the DPJ. He said, “There are many intergovernmental consultative bodies, and parliamentary communication is about to start as well. However, these communications cannot be alternatives for the party-to-party exchanges.” He further emphasized the importance of the exchanges, and also expressed his agreement with the basic direction of the DPJ proposal. Chairman Pligin asserted his commitment to the future of Japan-Russia relations by stating, “Once I go back to my country, I will consult with the person who is in charge of international communication, and will try my best to make the letter of agreement concerning the party-to-party exchanges.”
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