Constitutional revision procedure bill is undemocratic and must be scrapped: JCP Ichida

   The House of Councilors on April 16 began deliberations on a bill to establish procedures for constitutional revision (national referendum bill).

   At the plenary session of the House, Japanese Communist Party Secretariat Head Ichida Tadayoshi strongly called for the bill to be scrapped, stating, “It is clear that this bill is intended to create the necessary conditions for changing Article 9 that Prime Minister Abe Shinzo is aiming at, and thereby turning Japan into a country waging wars abroad.”

   Representing submitters of the bill, House of Representatives member Yasuoka Koji (Liberal Democratic Party) claimed that the enactment of the bill amounts to the “restoration of popular sovereignty.” Clinging to the ruling parties’ policy of enacting the bill in the current Diet session, he even dared to interfere in the form of discussion in the House by stating, “We hope the House of Councilors will focus on points that were not sufficiently discussed in the House of Representatives.”

   Ichida rebutted Yasuoka, stating, “This bill is important as it concerns the supreme law of the nation, and it requires the most prudent discussions.” Pointing out that at the House of Representatives Special Committee public hearing, the majority of speakers expressed opposition to a hasty discussion on the bill regardless of their position on the bill, Ichida severely criticized the ruling parties by stating, “The forcible passage of the bill in the House of Representatives is absolutely incompatible with the basic rules of parliamentary democracy.” He demanded that the ruling parties not attempt to ram the bill through the House of Councilors.

   Ichida denounced the bill’s unfair and undemocratic nature that goes against the popular sovereignty enshrined in the Constitution, and stated that the JCP will make utmost efforts to join forces with the public to get the bill scrapped.

- Akahata, April 17, 2007