The ruling Liberal Democratic Party wants to prioritize the proposed revision of the Imperial House Law in parliamentary debates, LDP Secretary-General Shunichi Suzuki said Thursday in an effort to normalize parliamentary affairs.
The LDP is ready to halt debate on bills to reduce seats in the Lower House of the Diet, Japan¡¯s parliament, and establish a secondary capital while the discussions on the revision are underway, Suzuki said at a meeting of party executives from the LDP and the opposition Centrist Reform Alliance (CRA).
The two parties¡¯ parliamentary affairs leaders will continue to discuss the issue.
At Thursday¡¯s meeting, the CRA¡¯s Takeshi Shina expressed concern that a calm environment, considered a prerequisite for parliamentary debates on Imperial House Law revisions, cannot be secured as long as the ruling coalition keeps trying to enact other bills, including the proposal to cut Lower House seats. Suzuki did not respond to the remark.
According to Shina, Suzuki said the LDP will make efforts as a ruling party to meet opposition requests for intensive deliberations at the budget committees of both Diet chambers and at Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi¡¯s direct debates with other party leaders.
Later Thursday, the parliamentary affairs leaders of five opposition parties, including the CRA, had a meeting and confirmed that they will urge the LDP-led ruling coalition to abandon efforts to enact the Lower House seat reduction and secondary capital bills.
Meanwhile, the Audit Committee of the Upper House decided to hold a question-and-answer session that will be attended by Takaichi.
The ruling bloc, which includes the Japan Innovation Party, started Lower House deliberations on the proposed bills without obtaining agreement from opposition parties. This has led the opposition to boycott plenary and committee meetings.
To end the impasse, Lower House Speaker Eisuke Mori urged the ruling and opposition sides to normalize parliamentary business.
Both chambers of parliament decided not to hold deliberations on bills on Thursday.
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