DPJ to back opposition's bill for Diet panel on Fukushima crisis

TOKYO, Sept. 27 Kyodo - The Democratic Party of Japan has decided to back a bill the opposition camp submitted to set up a special committee in parliament to investigate the causes of the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, lawmakers said Tuesday.
The ruling party is slated to hold talks with the main opposition Liberal Democratic Party, the New Komeito party and the Sunrise Party of Japan to modify the bill, and the parties are expected to reach broad agreement this week, the lawmakers said.
The bill is expected to be passed at the next extraordinary Diet session, the lawmakers added.
The DPJ had been initially reluctant to create such a committee, arguing that an independent expert panel has already been set up by the government to determine the causes of the nuclear disaster in Fukushima Prefecture.
But the ruling party decided to back the opposition move, in a bid to secure its cooperation in moving ahead with discussions on a third extra budget for fiscal 2011, needed to finance full-fledged reconstruction from the March earthquake-tsunami disaster, the sources said.
The linchpin of the bill submitted by the three opposition parties last month is the establishment of an investigative committee consisting of 10 experts.
The experts are to be appointed by the lower house speaker and the upper house president, from a list of candidates prepared by a panel of 30 Diet members.
The committee is to determine what caused the catastrophic failure of the Fukushima nuclear power plant, and submit its findings in a report to the parliament in six months.