(Central News Agency Tokyo 1st comprehensive foreign news report) The Japanese government and the ruling party regard the consumption tax reduction bill as the most important issue of this session of Congress, and plan to pass the bill through the House of Representatives as soon as November 6; the opposition party requires Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to appear in person at the House of Representatives Finance and Finance Committee to accept questions.
Japan Jiji News Agency reported that the government and the opposition will negotiate on the 4th, and whether Takaichi will attend will become the focus of attack and defense for both parties.
The House Finance Committee is expected to conduct its next round of deliberations on the 4th. The Liberal Democratic Party hopes to pass the bill in the committee and the House of Representatives session on the 6th, and then send it to the Senate for review, and strives to complete the legislation before the end of the congressional session on December 12.
The opposition party previously requested that the House of Representatives arrange about 30 hours of questioning time. If four days of deliberation are included, the total questioning time will reach 28 hours (excluding reference questions).
Goto Yuichi, chairman of the National Diet Countermeasures Committee of the opposition party "Middle Road Reform Alliance" in the House of Representatives, has proposed to the Liberal Democratic Party to arrange for the prime minister to attend the two-hour question. "We will not ask for more than this time," he told the media, indicating that as long as the ruling party accepts the request, it is willing to put the bill to a vote.
Hideki Murai, chairman of the Diet Countermeasures Committee of the Liberal Democratic Party, said on October 30 that Goto's request "will be taken seriously", but he did not make a clear position. Murai and Goto are expected to negotiate again on November 4. A person related to the Liberal Democratic Party believes: "The Prime Minister may have to accept questioning."
The report pointed out that there are still many unclear aspects of the bill, including the source of tax cuts and the amount of the "Employment Burden Reduction Support Fund." In response to the opposition party's request, the government proposed a reference value, stating that within two years starting next year, the minimum support amount for low-income earners will be approximately 5,000 yen per year, but this has not been understood by the opposition party.
Komeito Secretary-General Minoru Nishida criticized at the press conference: "Releasing information bit by bit is not a sincere way of discussing." National Democratic Party cadres also expressed dissatisfaction, saying: "If more specific figures are not provided, it is impossible to judge whether to support or oppose."
On the other hand, the ruling party does not hold more than half of the seats in the Senate, and the opposition parties will have a certain degree of dominance. The Senate deliberation has decided to hand over the matter to a special committee at the request of the opposition parties. The special committee is not restricted by fixed meeting days and can flexibly arrange deliberations. It can also request cabinet ministers other than Finance Minister Katayama Satsuki, who is responsible for this bill, to attend to answer questions. "The key to victory or defeat lies in the Senate," said a Komeito cadre.
