Political parties divided over abdication legislation
TOKYO: Japan’s political parties showed their differing positions yesterday over possible legislation to enable Emperor Akihito to abdicate in separate hearings with the heads of both chambers of parliament, participants said.
Although the sessions were held as part of the parliamentary leaders’ efforts to iron out differing opinions among ruling and opposition parties, the results of the hearings suggest more discussions are needed before a bill is submitted for legislation.
Representatives from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, led by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, said the party is supporting a one-off legal mechanism enabling the 83-year-old emperor to abdicate and make way for Crown Prince Naruhito, 56. Its junior coalition partner Komeito party explained during its hearing with the heads of both parliament’s chambers that it is taking a similar idea.
Mr Abe’s government seeks to materialise the ageing emperor’s wish to abdicate, which was hinted at in a video message released last August, by means of enacting one-off legislation.
Meanwhile, the main opposition Democratic Party advocated a permanent system through a revision to the Imperial House Law, which lacks an abdication provision. Yoshihiko Noda, the party’s secretary general, said after its hearing that he called for the parliament heads to create an opportunity for all the parties to discuss the issue, instead of separate hearings. The Japanese Communist Party also underlined the necessity to amend the imperial law.
Some legal experts and the Democratic Party argue that the planned special legislation may violate the Constitution as the supreme law stipulates the imperial throne shall be “succeeded to in accordance with the Imperial House Law”.
In light of that, Masahiko Komura, vice president of the LDP, said after its hearing he thinks it is necessary to take measures to clarify the relationship between the envisioned special law and the imperial law.
Komeito’s deputy chief Kazuo Kitagawa said that House of Representatives Speaker Tadamori Oshima asked the party about an idea to put the special law’s legal base on a supplementary clause of the imperial law, which has been studied by the ruling block. Mr Kitagawa told reporters he replied: “There is room to study.”
The Diet heads are hoping for early enactment of legislation and are making a rare attempt to reconcile parties’ opinions before the bill’s formulation, lawmakers said.
Taking into consideration each party’s opinion, Mr Oshima and others will compile the Diet’s opinion possibly by mid-March.
In January, a government advisory panel studying the abdication issue released an interim report emphasising the merits of legislation applying only to Emperor Akihito but not to future emperors.
Considering the Diet’s view and the upcoming advisory council’s final proposal, the government plans to submit the bill to the Diet sometime between late April and early May, political sources said.