diet

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Special Diet Session opens

The 163rd Special Diet session opened on September 21 following the House of Representatives general election in which the Liberal Democratic Party won a sweeping victory.

Commanding a two-thirds majority in the House of Representatives, the ruling coalition is poised to push through the postal privatization bills as well as a bill for the promotion of "self-help" of disabled people and a bill allowing another extension of the anti-terrorist measures law.

The House of Representatives re-elected Prime Minister Koizumi Jun'ichiro, and the third Koizumi Cabinet under the LDP-Komei coalition started on the same day.

Earlier in the day, Japanese Communist Party Dietmembers held an assembly (see separate item).

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On the same day, about 200 people marched in demonstration to the Diet from the Hibiya amphitheater, chanting, "Stop major tax increases, defend the Constitution!"

Addressing the participants, Takada Kimiko, New Japan Women's Association chair, said, "Let's block the Koizumi Cabinet's reckless administration by increasing grass-roots movements."

The protest action was sponsored by the Cut Military Expenditure and Improve Welfare and Education People's Big Movement organizing committee, the Central Council for Promotion of Social Security, and the Central Action Committee against the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty.

JCP Chair Shii and Secretariat Head Ichida Tadayoshi met with the marchers.

At a rally held in the Diet Building, Ichida explained how the JCP will debate in the Diet, after which National Confederation of Trade Unions (Zenroren) President Kumagai Kanemichi spoke.

Later in the day, the Christian Peace Network and two other groups held an emergency meeting in the Diet with 150 citizens, including eight lawmakers from the JCP, Social Democratic, and Democratic parties.

The discussion focused on how to stop the enactment of a national referendum bill on constitutional revisions, a bill to establish a conspiracy bill, and a bill to cut social services for disabled people in the name of promoting "self-help." -- Akahata, September 22, 2005