Re-passing the House of Representatives ``Depends on the theme'' Hagiuda takes a cautious stance as the number of seats is reduced

On the BS11 program on the 18th, Acting Secretary-General of the Liberal Democratic Party Koichi Hagiuda expressed his cautious thoughts about aiming for re-passing the bill with two-thirds or more of the House of Representatives in the event that the bill to reduce the number of members of the House of Representatives is rejected by the House of Councilors, which has a minority of the ruling party. He left open the possibility of re-passing the bill related to the consumption tax cut on groceries, saying it would "depend on the theme."

Regarding the consumption tax cut, Hagiuda said, ``During the election, (many opposition parties) told us to do it.'' ``It depends on the content of the bill, whether it's in the best interest of the people to come to a conclusion even if it requires a second vote, or whether it's a good idea to make a decision based solely on the number of members of the House of Representatives even though the opinions of the House of Representatives are divided at the time,'' he said.

He further emphasized, ``I won't deny the possibility (of re-passing the bill), but I think we should try to reach the greatest common denominator through discussion as much as possible.'' Both bills showed a willingness to gain support from opposition parties.