The government as well as ruling and opposition parties should seriously recognize the situation into which the Diet has been put and work toward normalizing Diet business.
The boycott of Diet sessions by six opposition parties -- including the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and the Democratic Party -- has become protracted.
Deliberations at various committees have been conducted with only the members of the ruling parties and Nippon Ishin no Kai attending. Cabinet ministers have continued to sit waiting for the attendance of opposition party members during the period of time allotted for interpellations by the CDPJ and other opposition parties. This presents an extraordinary scene.
The six opposition parties have called for, among other things, the resignation of Finance Minister Taro Aso and the disclosure of results of the investigation into the Finance Ministry's alteration of documents related to the sale of state-owned land to Moritomo Gakuen school operator. They have cited these demands not having been met as the reason for their boycott.
Making the issue of whether or not a cabinet minister should resign a condition for returning to Diet sessions is an illogical tactic in the first place.
Discussing subjects of foreign and domestic policy and setting the course to be followed by Japan is the role Diet members are meant to play. The opposition parties' attitude of relinquishing their responsibility must be unacceptable.
While boycotting plenary Diet sessions and committee deliberations, the six opposition parties have frequently held their own joint hearings, asking bureaucrats of government ministries to attend. Scenes of opposition lawmakers raising their voices at bureaucrats have been occasionally seen. There is a strong criticism that the opposition parties are making light of Diet business.
They should come back to Diet deliberations and question the government openly and squarely.
Govt lacks sense of crisis
The DP and Kibo no To (Party of Hope) have been proceeding with talks on their platform and policies in preparation for a merger, and are set to hold a convention to mark the founding of a new party next Monday. The sense of strangeness is difficult to dispel when looking at their struggle to solidify their foothold while not attending Diet sessions.
The 150-day ordinary Diet session is already two-thirds over. In that time, many hours have been spent in interpellations on the government's alleged irregularities, including the alteration of documents on the land sale and the issue of daily activity logs of the Self-Defense Forces.
As new facts have been revealed one after another, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the Cabinet ministers concerned have been forced to make apologies each time.
Abe declared his determination to deal with these scandals, saying that he will work toward "driving out the rot."
Nevertheless, investigation results on the alleged document alteration and the issue of the SDF's daily activity logs have yet to be unveiled. No prospect can be seen of such corrective measures as reexamination of the way public documents should be managed in light of lessons from the scandals. The government seems to lack a sense of crisis.
The government must match its words with actions and expedite reconstruction of the bureaucratic apparatus.
In connection with the establishment of a university veterinary medicine department by Kake Gakuen school operator in Ehime Prefecture, documents have been found showing a meeting three years ago between Ehime prefectural government officials, Tadao Yanase, a former secretary to the prime minister, and others. Abe is a friend of the director of Kake Gakuen, and is thus suspected to have done a favor for the school operator.
Opinion has been growing stronger within the ruling parties that Yanase, who has denied the meeting with Ehime prefectural officials and others, should comply with a demand to testify before the Diet and offer clarification. Yanase should fulfill his accountability by saying frankly what actually happened.
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, May 4, 2018)
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