ID :
43855
Tue, 02/03/2009 - 12:50
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/43855
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Aso aims for early passage of consumer affairs agency-related bills
TOKYO, Feb. 2 Kyodo -
Prime Minister Taro Aso reiterated Monday that he aims to enact legislation
needed to form a consumer affairs agency by the March 31 end of the current
fiscal year.
Japan needs ''an administrative organization specifically aimed at protecting
consumers and the establishment of the agency is an urgent task,'' Aso told a
House of Councillors plenary session in response to questions from opposition
lawmakers.
The plan for the agency was initiated by Aso's predecessor, Yasuo Fukuda, in
January 2008 amid a spate of food-labeling scandals and incidents that
seriously undermined public confidence in food safety.
In parliament, Aso also displayed his eagerness to cut back on lawmakers'
expenditures, including their salaries, and to reduce the number of Diet seats
as part of streamlining efforts, saying, ''It is important for politicians to
spearhead reform.''
But he stressed the need for thorough discussions on the matter between the
ruling and opposition blocs as the issue affects ''the fundamentals of
parliamentary politics.''
The prime minister told reporters in the evening, ''I have instructed the
Liberal Democratic Party to examine the issue carefully but swiftly, although
it is not something for which we can find an answer quickly.''
On Tuesday, parliament will begin full-fledged debate on a fiscal 2009 budget
that was submitted on Jan. 19, with the government aiming to steer the record
88.5 trillion yen budget through the House of Representatives by around Feb. 20
to ensure its enactment by the end of the current fiscal year.
Asked if a supplementary budget for the next fiscal year could be submitted
sometime soon, Aso denied the possibility, telling reporters, ''We haven't even
engaged in debate on the main budget and if we discuss compiling an extra
budget at the moment, it would be the same thing as saying the main budget is
defective.''
The question followed media reports that Shunichi Yamaguchi, assistant to the
prime minister, said at a meeting in the city of Tokushima over the weekend
that Aso will consider drawing up an extra budget to finance additional
economic measures as early as in May after the fiscal 2009 budget and related
legislation are enacted.
Meanwhile, deliberations on bills needed to implement measures in the second
extra budget for fiscal 2008 have been shelved in the opposition-controlled
upper chamber. The budget and bills cleared the lower house on Jan. 13 and were
sent to the upper house.
Although the extra budget itself was passed into law last week, the related
legislation is unlikely to be enacted until mid-February or later, as the
Democratic Party of Japan-led opposition bloc is strongly against a cash
handout plan included in the extra budget.
==Kyodo
Prime Minister Taro Aso reiterated Monday that he aims to enact legislation
needed to form a consumer affairs agency by the March 31 end of the current
fiscal year.
Japan needs ''an administrative organization specifically aimed at protecting
consumers and the establishment of the agency is an urgent task,'' Aso told a
House of Councillors plenary session in response to questions from opposition
lawmakers.
The plan for the agency was initiated by Aso's predecessor, Yasuo Fukuda, in
January 2008 amid a spate of food-labeling scandals and incidents that
seriously undermined public confidence in food safety.
In parliament, Aso also displayed his eagerness to cut back on lawmakers'
expenditures, including their salaries, and to reduce the number of Diet seats
as part of streamlining efforts, saying, ''It is important for politicians to
spearhead reform.''
But he stressed the need for thorough discussions on the matter between the
ruling and opposition blocs as the issue affects ''the fundamentals of
parliamentary politics.''
The prime minister told reporters in the evening, ''I have instructed the
Liberal Democratic Party to examine the issue carefully but swiftly, although
it is not something for which we can find an answer quickly.''
On Tuesday, parliament will begin full-fledged debate on a fiscal 2009 budget
that was submitted on Jan. 19, with the government aiming to steer the record
88.5 trillion yen budget through the House of Representatives by around Feb. 20
to ensure its enactment by the end of the current fiscal year.
Asked if a supplementary budget for the next fiscal year could be submitted
sometime soon, Aso denied the possibility, telling reporters, ''We haven't even
engaged in debate on the main budget and if we discuss compiling an extra
budget at the moment, it would be the same thing as saying the main budget is
defective.''
The question followed media reports that Shunichi Yamaguchi, assistant to the
prime minister, said at a meeting in the city of Tokushima over the weekend
that Aso will consider drawing up an extra budget to finance additional
economic measures as early as in May after the fiscal 2009 budget and related
legislation are enacted.
Meanwhile, deliberations on bills needed to implement measures in the second
extra budget for fiscal 2008 have been shelved in the opposition-controlled
upper chamber. The budget and bills cleared the lower house on Jan. 13 and were
sent to the upper house.
Although the extra budget itself was passed into law last week, the related
legislation is unlikely to be enacted until mid-February or later, as the
Democratic Party of Japan-led opposition bloc is strongly against a cash
handout plan included in the extra budget.
==Kyodo
