Deliberations on legislation related to a vaccine for the novel coronavirus have begun at the extraordinary Diet session's plenary session of the House of Representatives.
Although the opposition parties have not submitted any alternatives to the eight new proposed laws and agreements, much attention is expected to be paid to the related bills as well as to proposed amendments to the Postal Law and the Plant Variety Protection and Seed Law, which impact people's lives.
At the Diet session Tuesday, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga stressed that he would work to secure enough vaccine for everyone in Japan by the first half of next year.
"We will negotiate energetically with any company, domestic or foreign, and put every effort into this endeavor, including supporting research and development," Suga said.
The main pillars of the related legislation are that the central government would pay for the vaccines and also shoulder any damages businesses incur from harm to people's health, to make it easier for pharmaceutical companies to supply a vaccine.
The bills in principle require people to make an effort to be vaccinated against the novel coronavirus, but they include a provision that would negate this if the effectiveness and safety of the vaccine cannot be adequately confirmed.
Katsuhito Nakajima of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan said, "New types of vaccines may have serious side effects."
Suga responded, "Ultimately, the people will decide whether to get vaccinated, but we will strive to disseminate accurate information, including on [a vaccine's] effectiveness in preventing infection and the risk of side effects."
The prime minister also indicated that the safety and efficacy of any vaccine approved for domestic use would be fully verified. "We will conduct comprehensive checks that include the results of clinical trials conducted in Japan," he said.
The government reported that the number of new bills and agreements had been reduced to eight, from the original plan of 10, at a Tuesday meeting of the executive board of the steering committee of the House of Representatives.
With the monthly salaries of national civil servants remaining unchanged, amendments to laws related to the salaries of judges and prosecutors are no longer necessary.
The board also decided to begin deliberations on a proposed Japan-Britain comprehensive economic partnership agreement at a plenary session of the lower house on Thursday.
Jun Azumi, chairman of the CDPJ's Diet Affairs Committee, said the party would not offer any opposing bills, though some in his party object to a proposed amendment to the Postal Law that would halt delivery of regular mail on Saturdays to cut costs. There are also objections to an amendment to the Plant Variety Protection Law aimed at preventing seeds and seedlings of branded varieties developed in Japan from going overseas, which was carried over from the previous regular Diet session.
The party sees both bills as insufficient, and is considering calling for revisions or additional resolutions.
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