Procedures with Arrogance

The Diet of Japan closed extraordinary session of this fall on Saturday. It was the first session in these twenty-seven years in which Liberal Democratic Party occupied simple majority in both Houses. Because they did not have to achieve approval from other parties, including the coalition partner Komeito, unilateral procedure of the bills was seen in every aspect of the session. It can be said that arrogance occupied the legislative branch of Japanese government.

Shinzo Abe administration pretended to be modest in hearing opposite opinions of other parties. Prime Minister boldly asserted that LDP had not forced voting on the bills from the beginning. However, the result was that LDP passed ratification of Trans-Pacific Partnership, pension reform bills and casino deregulation bills with unilateral procedure, leaving behind the request for further detailed discussion. President of Democratic Party, Renho, labeled that Abe exhaled lies.

There was a strange phenomenon from the beginning of the session. LDP lawmakers made standing ovation during the speech of Abe on the first day of the session, which was so unusual that Speaker of House of Representatives, Tadamori Oshima, blamed it. Apparently, those lawmakers were showing their loyalty to the administration with high popularity.

There was a fundamental question: Why did Japan have to ratify TPP when President-elect of United States declared to discard TPP on the first day in his White House? Abe and his staffs kept on saying that Japan would persuade Donald Trump to implement U.S. leadership to activate that high-level free trade deal. But, what Trump had to implement was to follow what he had said in the Presidential campaign.

It is said that legislative branch became a subcontractor of Abe administration that would blindly endorse any policy coming down from the Cabinet. For LDP lawmakers, popular leader would bring easy victory in their elections. As long as they follow requirements from Abe, they would be safer under the umbrella than being a lone star with firm causes.

Gaffs of LDP leaders flooded. Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Yuji Yamamoto, made unnecessary speech indicating unilateral voting on TPP ratification without detailed discussion. Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary, Koichi Hagiuda, called attitude of the opposite parties rural pro-wrestling show, which would be performance for attracting audience. The Diet abandons its inherited power for checking excessive execution of policies by an administration.