This Week’s “Nagata-cho”(12-19.Nov, 2013)

 On November 15, discussion and voting took place in the Lower House
Health and Labor Committee on the bills to reform the social security
system pillared on the medical care, nursery, child-rearing and
pension and their schedules. The opposition parties such as Democratic
Party of Japan had demanded extension of the discussion, but the
ruling coalition, in a hurry to pass the other bills, moved a motion
to discontinue discussion and pushed the bill through the committee
among shouting and yelling of the opposition lawmakers. The bill was
approved by the committee.
 However, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito
abandoned sending the bill to the Lower House plenary session, having
an eye to discussion and negotiation over the other important bills
that the ruling bloc seeks passages within the current session of the
Diet. The bill was approved in the Lower House on November 19 and was
sent to the Upper House accordingly. Yet, the move by the ruling
parties indeed repelled the opposition parties and, to implement the
planned reforms in effect, further individual legislations will be
needed in the next year’s ordinary session. For that reason, it seems
that the ruling coalition avoided to maintain the confrontational
stance to the end.

*The state of deliberations in both Houses and committees are
 available from the following websites. (Japanese only)
 House of Representatives　Internet TV：http://www.shugiintv.go.jp/en/index.php
 Live broadcasts and video recordings of the deliberations in the
 House of Councillors：http://www.webtv.sangiin.go.jp/

 The Upper House Special Committee on National Security on November

13entered discussion on the Cabinet’s bill to establish a Japanese

version of U.S. National Security Council on which the Cabinet places

the most importance as new headquarter of the country’s foreign

diplomacy and security policy. The interpellation session was held on

Nov 18-19, and the government sought to pass the bill into legislation

as early as this week. The bill and other related bill will likely be

legislated because they have obtained the approval of the Lower House

already. On the other hand, revision consultations have been going on

between LDP and Japan Restoration Party. Although LDP had planned to

finish the consultation by Thursday and pass the bill on Friday, an

agreement could not be reached at due to the cautious stance by the

opposition JRP. Besides, DPJ had submitted its own counterproposal on

Nov 19 which is further discrepant from that of Your Party or JRP. The

focal point has been an establishment of external monitoring body to

prevent arbitrary designation of information to be protected, which

the ruling bloc has rejected for reason that a multilayered scheme to

prevent arbitrary designation has been already entailed. As for the

DPJ’s proposal, the ruling bloc recognizes the proposition has been

released too late so the revision consultation would be difficult to

be engaged in within the remaining time of the session. Accordingly,

LDP and Komeito took priority in engaging in consultation with Your

Party and JRP, and drafted a joint revised bill on Nov 19 Tuesday.

 More, the bill to promote power liberalization by allowing entry

into the power industry by 2020 and by establishing a regional body

that manages the supply and demand in a national level was approved by

the Upper House and passed into legislation on Nov 13. Your Party’s

counterproposal on this topic was not discussed in the Upper House

Committee.

 Also, on the growth strategy, the bill on National Strategic Special

Zones was taken up in the Lower House Cabinet Committee on Nov 13. On

Nov 15, the bill on Industrial Competitiveness was approved in the

Lower House, and will be set to the Upper House soon.

 Three weeks remaining for discussions and negotiation over the NSC

bill, Special Zone, Industrial Competitiveness, etc. The negotiation

over the special intelligence protection designation has reached at

its climax this week. Let’s closely look at the prospect of the

movements in the Diet.

 Following is the state of ongoing deliberations on legislations in the Diet.

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