Public Policy Planning & Consulting Co. (SEISAKU-KOUBOU) is a public policy consulting firm based in Tokyo, covering broad policy areas such as economic policy, fiscal policy, regulatory policy, administrative reform, international trade and investment, etc.
PPPC provides consulting and briefing services to the clients in the central/local governments, Diet, local assemblies and the private sector.

This blog is aimed at providing general information, latest updates and some of our analytical reports about Japan's public policy in English.
The contents include;
- updates on some important government councils, especially those in which our executive officers serve as the members,
- weekly reports on latest news in Nagata-cho, the political center in Japan, (partially).
- analytical reports and articles by our members and distinguished experts outside the firm,(partially).

11.23.2013

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 Cabinets 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 countrys 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
DPJs 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 Partys
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. Lets 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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