Ruling party manipulates majority in minority House of Councilors, consumption tax reduction bill to be debated on the 11th

A bill related to the consumption tax reduction on food items will be debated in the House of Councilors on the 11th. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party and Nippon Ishin no Kai remain in the minority in the House of Councilors, and cooperation from opposition parties is essential for the bill to be established. The government has set its sights on the Democratic Party of the People, which advocates a ``come and go'' policy, and Komeito, which has long been part of the ruling coalition. However, both parties oppose the bill in the House of Representatives, and it is unclear whether the majority effort will be successful.

Ishiba, Obuchi and others abstain from voting on consumption tax reduction bill, calls for punishment

The bill passed the House of Representatives on the 6th. The ruling and opposition parties agreed on a schedule to explain the purpose and ask questions at a plenary session of the House of Councilors on the 11th. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will also be in attendance. After that, a newly established special committee is expected to begin substantive deliberations from the 13th.

In the House of Representatives deliberations, the main points of discussion were the funding source for the tax cut and the design of the system for the ``employee burden reduction support'' that would be introduced at the same time. Opposition parties pressed for details to be clarified, but the prime minister and other government officials simply responded by saying, ``Funding sources will be considered during the process of formulating the fiscal year 2027 budget.'' It was explained that the recipients of the support funds were only ``more than 30% of active workers.''

As counterproposals, the Democratic Party for the People proposed income and resident tax cuts, and Komeito proposed cash handouts, but both the government and the ruling party rejected them. All opposition parties opposed the bill in the House of Representatives vote.

However, after the bill was passed by the House of Representatives on the 6th, Representative Yuichiro Tamaki of the Democratic People's Democratic Party told reporters, ``If the contents of the bill change, it is possible that we will decide again (for or against).'' Komeito's Secretary-General Minoru Nishida also hinted at a press conference, saying, ``We will see through questions and answers whether unclear points will be clarified or whether various changes will be made.''

Given this situation, a senior administration official said, ``The number of numbers that can be said in the House of Councilors may increase.If the numbers change, the parties that opposed the bill in the House of Representatives may support it in the House of Councilors.'' In response, a Liberal Democratic Party official expressed caution, saying, ``If we try to incorporate national democracy and Komeito, we don't know how many demands they will make.''

Meanwhile, in the House of Representatives, the focus shifts to a bill to reduce the number of House members. The ruling party and the Democratic Party of Japan agreed to reduce the number of proportional representatives by 31. A summary of the bill will be compiled on the 9th, but other opposition parties are strongly opposed.

However, there is noticeable disagreement among the three parties regarding how to proceed with deliberations. The National Democratic Party is insisting that the House of Representatives Special Committee on Political Reform give priority to deliberating the bill to review corporate and group donations. The Restoration side, which emphasizes the bill to reduce the number of seats, has expressed displeasure.