Criticisms on Early Election

214th session, an extraordinary session, of the Diet was convoked on October 1st, and it elected Shigeru Ishiba for 102ndPrime Minister of Japan. Ishiba announced in his press conference that he would dissolve the House of Representatives on October 9th, and that the general election of the House would be proclaimed on October 15th and voted on October 27th. The opposition parties are frustrated with the scheduling, since Ishiba had stated that he would reserve ample time for discussion in the Diet over his basic policies before the dissolution.

 

When Shinjiro Koizumi referred to an early election in the discussion of presidential campaign of the Liberal Democratic Party, Ishiba opposed to Koizumi’s idea, arguing that the election should be held after the prime minister and the lawmakers would offer the voters some criteria to decide whom they vote for. Ishiba’s schedule, dissolution on eight days after the election of the prime minister and general election 26 days after, will mark the shortest record in post-war era. His announcement received criticisms that he had changed the course.

 

In the press conference, Ishiba told that his decision had a cause. “It is reasonable for us to ask approval to the nationals on newly established cabinet and it fulfills requirement of the constitution,” said Ishiba. He insisted that he would make sincere discussions in the Diet over his policy speech.

 

The opposition parties, which had expected detailed debate over LDP’s slush fund scandal, accused Ishiba’s sudden announcement of early election. The Head of Constitutional Democratic Party, Yoshihiko Noda, suggested that Ishiba’s announcement of the dissolution and general election might violate the constitution. “Referring to dissolution as LDP president, before elected the prime minister, must be doubted as a violation of the constitution,” said Noda, quoting a provision of the constitution that stipulates dissolution as an Emperor’s act in matters of state.

 

On the other side, the opposition parties began to prepare for early election. The CDP hopes to extend its wing for electoral cooperation, other opposition parties are hesitant to promote discussion for that. Japan Innovation Party, or Nippon Ishin-no Kai, has been reluctant to make a deal with CDP because of difference in basic policies, and Japan Communist Party is unpleasant to Noda’s approach to the center-right powers in politics.

 

Ishiba was asked in the press conference how he would decide who would be endorsed as official candidates of LDP among a number of lawmakers involved in the kickback scandal. “I will hear from the lawmakers whether they had revealed how the funds had been used, or how they would make effort to prevent that false uses,” said Ishiba. However, it is skeptical that he can make enough investigation on the scandal before the general election. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Amendment of Local Autonomy Law

The House of Representatives started discussion on revision of the Local Autonomy Law, which would vest the national government a power to instruct local government in an emergency. It may change the relationship between the national and local government, which has been recognized as equal. The opposition parties oppose the amendment, arguing that it would give the national government an excessive power.   With the Meiji Restoration, the national government abolished the feudal system, introducing modern governance. However, its autonomy was not sufficient. The governor of each prefecture was appointed by the national government. The local governments subordinated to the national government. It was as late as 2000 when  the Comprehensive Decentralization Law  was enacted and the relationship between the national and local government was defined as equal.   The national government found inconvenience in the relationship between the national and local government, when COVID-19 was preval
Read more

Request for Final Nuclear Disposal Site

Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry requested Genkai Town, Saga, to accept “literature survey” for building a final disposal site for high-level radioactive waste. Genkai is going to answer within this month. If it accepts, it will be the third place to accept that survey, following two places in Hokkaido. Main reason to accept the survey is supposed to be subsidy from the national government.   Japan has no final disposal site. Among all 54 reactors in 17 nuclear power generation plant, 12 reactors of 6 plants are operating. The rest of them are not in operation, some of which are determined to be decommissioned. Used nuclear fuels are stocked in each plant, 　 or have sent to a reprocessing plant in Rokkasho, Aomori. There are two plans to stock nuclear wastes in the intermediate facility for disposal, one is already built and another is still in negotiation.   Nuclear Fuel Final Disposal Act in 2000 determines to bury nuclear waste in the underground. Literature survey, which is
Read more

Death Penalty Demanded on Criminal of Arson

On the historically brutal case of arson, the public prosecutors demanded an ultimate penalty to the offender. In the trial on the arson and murder in Kyoto Animation in 2019, the prosecutors requested death penalty on the defendant, Shinji Aoba. The lawyers of Aoba argued that the court should avoid sentencing death penalty. The judgement will be passed next January. Aoba was indicted as putting fire after pouring gasoline in the building of Kyoto Animation (Kyoani), a studio producing animation works, and killed 36 staffs and injured 32 on July 18 th , 2019. In the trial, Aoba argued that he could not tolerate Kyoani, because it had stolen his novel story in its works. Aoba later apologized to the victim’s families that he had done too much and regretted it.   In the closing argument in Kyoto Regional Court, the prosecutors demanded death penalty for Aoba, because the number of victims were extremely high in the history of criminal trials in Japan. “It is hard to describe about how t
Read more