Japan Lower House Sets Takaichi’s Policy Address for Fri.

Tokyo, Oct. 23 (Jiji Press)–The steering committee of Japan’s House of Representatives decided Thursday that new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will deliver a policy address at the lower chamber of parliament Friday. The decision was made at a meeting of executives of the committee. Takaichi, who took office Tuesday, will give the address at a plenary meeting of the chamber. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan broadly agreed Wednesday to have Takaichi deliver her policy address at the House of Councillors, the upper chamber, also on Friday. Question-and-answer sessions at the chambers over the address will be held Nov. 4-6. Meanwhile, six opposition parties, including the CDP and the Democratic Party for the People, held a meeting Thursday to discuss a bill to scrap the provisional gasoline tax surcharge. The LDP has said that it now plans to lower retail gasoline prices for the time being by increasing subsidies and then eventually scrap the surcharge in February next year. The LDP, the CDP and four other parties had agreed to scrap the tax surcharge by the end of this year. In talks with reporters after Thursday’s meeting, CDP tax panel chief Kazuhiko Shigetoku criticized the LDP for attempting to push back the abolition to next year. “We, the six opposition parties, unanimously affirmed (at the meeting) that we cannot accept such a move,” he said. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]