Japan Opposition Raps Takaichi over Imperial Law Revision

Tokyo, June 13 (Jiji Press)–Japanese opposition parties have criticized Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi for asking the ruling bloc first to work out details of a planned bill on measures to secure a sufficient number of Imperial Family members. Some opposition lawmakers said that her move could bring to naught the series of discussions held by the Diet, the country’s parliament, to form its consensus on the measures, which would require a revision of the Imperial House Law. On Friday, Takaichi held talks with Fumitake Fujita, co-leader of the Japan Innovation Party, the coalition partner of Takaichi’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party, at the prime minister’s office. According to Fujita, Takaichi told him that she wants the two ruling parties to set details of systems needed to take the proposed measures, forming a full agreement so that there will be no differences in their opinions when the details are made public. Fujita told reporters that Takaichi made the remarks because bills are usually discussed first within ruling parties. On the measures to address a decrease in Imperial Family members, ruling and opposition parties had held discussions at plenary meetings under the leaders and vice leaders of both parliamentary chambers since May 2024. On Wednesday, the Diet leaders reported to Takaichi that the consensus of the legislative branch was formed. Based on the consensus, the government is slated to decide an outline of the bill to revise the law, explain it to the Diet and then introduce the legislation as soon as possible. “We’ve held discussions across the boundary of ruling and opposition parties,” Junya Ogawa, leader of the opposition Centrist Reform Alliance, told reporters in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, near Tokyo, on Saturday. “I’d like to ask for a careful approach so that no arbitrary decision will be made,” he added. A veteran CRA member said Takaichi’s act “could result in a turbulent development.” “Does this mean that the consensus of the legislature will be ignored?” Yuichiro Tamaki, leader of the opposition Democratic Party for the People, said on X, formerly Twitter. “What on earth was the purpose of the plenary meetings?” Akira Koike, top secretary of the Japanese Communist Party, said in a post on X. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]