Budget Committee Chair Held by Ruling Party for 30 Years
Agreement to Assign to Main Opposition Party, the Constitutional Democratic Party
Prime Minister Renomination Next Week, "Ishiba Likely"
Japan's House of Representatives recently faced a 'minority government' situation following the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) crushing defeat in the general election, and the ruling and opposition parties have agreed to allocate the position of Budget Committee Chair to the largest opposition party for the first time in 30 years.
According to Asahi and Mainichi newspapers on the 8th, the LDP and the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP), the two largest parties, held a meeting between their parliamentary strategy chiefs the previous day and agreed to readjust the 17 standing committee chair positions according to the number of seats held by each party.
Reflecting the fact that the ruling coalition of the LDP and Komeito fell below the majority in the general election held on the 27th of last month, the chair positions were allocated as follows: 8 to the LDP, 6 to the CDP, and 1 each to Nippon Ishin no Kai, the Democratic Party for the People, and Komeito. Before the election, the LDP held 13 chair positions, Komeito 2, and the CDP 2, having secured an outright majority.
In particular, both sides agreed to assign the Budget Committee Chair position, which had been held by the ruling party for 30 years, to the largest opposition party, the CDP. The Budget Committee is a key standing committee responsible for reviewing the government budget proposal, and its chair can pressure the Cabinet through convening meetings and managing votes.
Additionally, both sides agreed to hold a special Diet session from the 11th to the 14th for four days, on the condition that an extraordinary Diet session will be convened soon. The special Diet session is convened after the dissolution of the House of Representatives and the subsequent general election, during which the Prime Minister is re-nominated and elected. Local media are predicting the re-election of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.
At an LDP lawmakers' meeting attended by about 200 members the previous day, dissatisfaction and criticism toward the party leadership over the election defeat were reportedly expressed. However, according to the Yomiuri Shimbun, only one person demanded Prime Minister Ishiba's early resignation. The newspaper suggested that this was due to the judgment that changing the Prime Minister immediately would not improve the situation.
Earlier, after the ruling LDP failed to secure a majority for the first time in 15 years since 2009 in last month's general election, responsibility debates regarding Prime Minister Ishiba arose both inside and outside the party. While Ishiba acknowledged the "very severe judgment" and felt a strong sense of responsibility, he drew a line against stepping down mid-term, stating he would "fulfill his duties."
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