ID :
30966
Wed, 11/19/2008 - 08:38
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/30966
The shortlink copeid
Extension of Diet session in sight, possibly to early January
TOKYO, Nov. 18 Kyodo - the government and the ruling camp decided Tuesday to seek an extension of the
current Diet session beyond its scheduled end on Nov. 30 in order to pass a
refueling bill and a bill to bolster the banking sector.
Though they envision an extension to around Dec. 20 to ensure the passage of
the antiterrorism bill in the face of the opposition camp's control of the
House of Councillors, there is talk of the session being extended to around
Jan. 5 for the passage of the financial bill, according to political sources.
The government and the ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party and the
New Komeito party are expected to make a final decision on the extension as
early as the beginning of next week, the sources said.
Prime Minister Taro Aso told reporters Tuesday that an extension of the current
Diet session will be inevitable if the main opposition Democratic Party of
Japan does not change its stance of boycotting deliberations and voting on the
two bills.
''Because they are important bills, we would inevitably have to extend the
session depending on their attitude,'' Aso said.
The DPJ, which controls the upper house along with other opposition parties,
has decided that it will not agree to hold a vote on the antiterrorism bill
until the government introduces a second extra budget in the current Diet
session, although it will attend deliberations on the two key bills from
Wednesday.
The second extra budget is intended to finance an economic stimulus package,
including a 2 trillion yen cash benefit program for households, amid the global
financial crisis.
Deliberations on the bills in the upper house stalled Tuesday as the DPJ
boycotted a planned vote on the bill to extend Japan's antiterrorism refueling
mission in the Indian Ocean beyond its expiration on Jan. 15.
Aso criticized the DPJ's strategy, saying it is ''beyond understanding'' for
the DPJ to halt deliberations by linking submission of the second supplementary
budget to bills that are totally unrelated.
The government and the ruling parties are studying the length of the extension
by taking into account a rule that enables the more powerful House of
Representatives to resort to an overriding second vote if a bill is rejected by
the upper house.
The lower house can also hold such a vote if the upper house fails to vote on a
bill within 60 days of receiving it from the lower house.
At a news conference, LDP Secretary General Hiroyuki Hosoda said that the party
aims to pass the refueling bill and suggested it intends to submit the second
extra budget during the regular Diet session to be convened in January, as has
been done for such budgets in the past.
The first supplementary budget passed the Diet during the ongoing extra session.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura also expressed his determination to seek
passage of the refueling and banking bills, telling a news conference, ''We'd
like to ensure enactment.''
The DPJ is urging the government to submit the supplementary budget and hold
deliberations on it, apparently in the hope of attacking the government's
inconsistency regarding the much criticized cash benefit program, which the
budget is expected to finance.
Such a move, DPJ lawmakers say, would build up pressure on Prime Minister Aso
to dissolve the lower house for an election.
==Kyodo
current Diet session beyond its scheduled end on Nov. 30 in order to pass a
refueling bill and a bill to bolster the banking sector.
Though they envision an extension to around Dec. 20 to ensure the passage of
the antiterrorism bill in the face of the opposition camp's control of the
House of Councillors, there is talk of the session being extended to around
Jan. 5 for the passage of the financial bill, according to political sources.
The government and the ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party and the
New Komeito party are expected to make a final decision on the extension as
early as the beginning of next week, the sources said.
Prime Minister Taro Aso told reporters Tuesday that an extension of the current
Diet session will be inevitable if the main opposition Democratic Party of
Japan does not change its stance of boycotting deliberations and voting on the
two bills.
''Because they are important bills, we would inevitably have to extend the
session depending on their attitude,'' Aso said.
The DPJ, which controls the upper house along with other opposition parties,
has decided that it will not agree to hold a vote on the antiterrorism bill
until the government introduces a second extra budget in the current Diet
session, although it will attend deliberations on the two key bills from
Wednesday.
The second extra budget is intended to finance an economic stimulus package,
including a 2 trillion yen cash benefit program for households, amid the global
financial crisis.
Deliberations on the bills in the upper house stalled Tuesday as the DPJ
boycotted a planned vote on the bill to extend Japan's antiterrorism refueling
mission in the Indian Ocean beyond its expiration on Jan. 15.
Aso criticized the DPJ's strategy, saying it is ''beyond understanding'' for
the DPJ to halt deliberations by linking submission of the second supplementary
budget to bills that are totally unrelated.
The government and the ruling parties are studying the length of the extension
by taking into account a rule that enables the more powerful House of
Representatives to resort to an overriding second vote if a bill is rejected by
the upper house.
The lower house can also hold such a vote if the upper house fails to vote on a
bill within 60 days of receiving it from the lower house.
At a news conference, LDP Secretary General Hiroyuki Hosoda said that the party
aims to pass the refueling bill and suggested it intends to submit the second
extra budget during the regular Diet session to be convened in January, as has
been done for such budgets in the past.
The first supplementary budget passed the Diet during the ongoing extra session.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura also expressed his determination to seek
passage of the refueling and banking bills, telling a news conference, ''We'd
like to ensure enactment.''
The DPJ is urging the government to submit the supplementary budget and hold
deliberations on it, apparently in the hope of attacking the government's
inconsistency regarding the much criticized cash benefit program, which the
budget is expected to finance.
Such a move, DPJ lawmakers say, would build up pressure on Prime Minister Aso
to dissolve the lower house for an election.
==Kyodo
