The opposition parties, which have been pursuing allegations surrounding the blossom-viewing parties, are stepping up their offensive.
The Diet affairs committee chairs of four opposition parties -- the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ), the Japanese Communist Party, the Democratic Party for the People and the Social Democratic Party -- met with Hiroshi Moriyama, their counterpart in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, on Thursday in the Diet building. At the meeting, the opposition parties called for an extension of the current Diet session, which is scheduled to end on Saturday, until around the end of the year.
At the meeting, the CDPJ's Jun Azumi told Moriyama that refusing the extension "could result in forcibly closing the session in order to cover up the allegations."
In response, Moriyama conveyed a policy of not extending the session. "The scheduled bills are now in sight," Moriyama said. "We are on a tight schedule for budget proposal preparation."
Later, the heads of four opposition parties' secretariats, including the CDPJ, met in the Diet and decided to submit a motion on Friday to the House of Representatives to extend the session until Dec. 28. They also agreed to seek former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's testimony at the Diet.
However, the motion is expected to be rejected due to opposition from the ruling bloc and Nippon Ishin no Kai. Also, the ruling bloc is maintaining its stance of rejecting the idea of having Abe give testimony at the Diet.
Azumi gave a warning to the ruling bloc, saying, "The ordinary Diet session will not be able to start easily unless Mr. Abe fulfills his accountability."
The opposition parties are prepared to thoroughly pursue allegations related to money in politics in next year's ordinary Diet session. One of the allegations involves former Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Takamori Yoshikawa of the LDP, who is suspected of receiving cash from an egg supplier.
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