Japan’s LDP Proposes Revision to National Referendum Law

Tokyo, June 4 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Thursday proposed a revision to the law on national referendums for amending the country’s Constitution. At a meeting of the Commission on the Constitution of the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the Diet, or parliament, Yoshitaka Shindo of the LDP specifically sought to ease the requirements for appointing referendum monitors. Aiming to realize the revision of the law during the current Diet session, which is slated to end in mid-July, Shindo called for discussions on the matter at the commission’s next meeting. The proposed law revision is designed to align the requirements for the appointment of referendum monitors with those for public office elections. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, head of the LDP, in April expressed her intention to pave the way within a year for the Diet’s submission of a constitutional revision proposal, and the party’s move to amend the referendum law is apparently aimed at assisting the move. The main opposition Centrist Reform Alliance indicated its stance of positively considering the LDP’s proposal on condition that progress is made in discussions on regulating television, radio and internet commercials related to national referendums. “We would like to advance discussions on the proposed referendum law revision if there is a guarantee that a certain conclusion would be reached on commercial regulations,” Koichi Kasai of the CRA said. Among other opposition parties, the Democratic Party for the People and Sanseito voiced support for the law revision, while the Japanese Communist Party expressed opposition. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]