CDPJ Gains Chair of Budget Committee

As the result of the general election of the House of Representatives, in which leading coalition by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and Komeito lost its majority, it is expected that a hung parliament will appear in the House when next special session of the Diet is convoked in November 11th. The groups in the House agreed on distribution of the posts of chair in each standing or special committee. The largest opposition party, the Constitutional Democratic Party (CDPJ) achieved the post of Chairman of Committee on Budget for the first time in these thirty years. 

The groups in the House are mostly correspondent to the members of parties. The representatives of all groups, who are the Chairpersons of Diet Affairs Committee of each party, discussed who should be appointed to the posts since November 1st.

 

Although the LDP occupied fifteen chairs out of seventeen standing committees before the general election, it reduced their seats to ten. The opposition parties obtained seven, out of which five posts were occupied by the CDPJ. Because the leading coalition does not have simple majority, no bill will pass the House without cooperation of all or a part of the opposition parties. Including the Democratic Party for the People which is leaning on the leading coalition through policy discussion, the opposition parties have been united to get as many posts as possible.

 

The greatest achievement for the opposition parties is the chair of Budget Committee, in which all the issue is discussed. The CDPJ is going to appoint Jun Azumi, a veteran lawmaker long involved in Diet affairs, to the post. The committee has been a main venue for the opposition parties to investigate the slush fund scandal of the LDP. The chairman has power to convoke a meeting, and can conduct proceedings of the committee. It is less difficult for the opposition parties to invite witnesses to the committee for investigating the scandal.

 

The LDP chose the chair of Committee on Rules and Administration, which would discuss the schedule of Plenary Sittings. Even if a bill passes a committee, it will not be sent to another house, House of Councillors, without being passed in a Plenary Sittings. The committee has a key role for the leading coalition to complete discussion on every bill in the House of Representatives.

 

The CDPJ also gained some key posts. The party will appoint former leaders, Yukio Edano and Kenta Izumi, to the chairs of Commission on the Constitution and Committee on Fundamental National Policies. Under the chairmanship of Edano, who has been careful in the discussion of constitutional amendment, the discussion over the constitution is expected to slow down. Izumi is going to conduct the question time, discussion between Prime Minister and the opposition leaders. The leading coalition will be required greater energy to pass a bill than in the time of having majority in the House.

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