Tokyo, Nov. 9 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party decided Monday to reprimand four of its Diet members, including former Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, for abstaining from Friday’s parliamentary vote on a consumption tax cut bill. The four also included former LDP Election Strategy Committee chair Yuko Obuchi, former Justice Minister Yoshihisa Furukawa and Hajime Funada, former chief of the now-defunct Economic Planning Agency. On Friday, the tax cut bill was approved by the House of Representatives, with support from the LDP-Japan Innovation Party coalition, and sent to the Senate. Speaking to reporters on Monday, Ishiba explained that he refused to vote on the bill because the fiscal resources to pay for the tax cut remain unclear. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
