By Japan Today Editor
Copyright japantoday
Japanese opposition parties on Wednesday demanded that the ruling coalition led by the Liberal Democratic Party promptly convene an extraordinary parliament session, airing concerns over a “political vacuum” following Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s announcement that he is resigning.
Opposition parties have agreed to urge the ruling bloc to convene an extra Diet session this month. But Junichi Ishii, the head of the LDP’s upper house affairs committee, has said it is unlikely to start until mid-October “at the earliest.”
The largest opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, the Japan Innovation Party, the Democratic Party for the People and others submitted a joint request signed by 239 House of Representatives members — more than half of the house — to Fukushiro Nukaga, the lower chamber’s speaker.
The move comes a day after the LDP decided to hold a leadership contest on Oct 4 to pick the successor to Ishiba, who said Sunday he will step down as party head to take responsibility for the LDP’s major setback in July’s House of Councillors election.
The Constitution stipulates that the cabinet must convene an extraordinary Diet session when it is sought by a quarter or more of lawmakers of either the 465-member lower house or the 248-seat upper chamber, although it sets no time limit for it.
In the request, the opposition forces said their agreement with the ruling camp to abolish the provisional gasoline tax rate and other measures to address rising living costs need to be deliberated in parliament.
“We want Prime Minister Ishiba to take it seriously and convene an extraordinary session as soon as possible,” Hirofumi Ryu, the CDPJ’s Diet affairs chief, told reporters after submitting the request, emphasizing that the demand was from more than half of the lower house’s members.
