Deep Rift over Abdication

Chairmen and Vice-Chairmen of both Houses of the Diet held a hearing form the leaders of ten parties and factions on legislative measures for abdication of the Emperor on Monday. While four parties including the leading ones supported special legislation for abdication only applied to current Emperor Akihito, four parties and two factions required permanent legislation through amendment of Imperial House Law. It is unclear whether they can reach an overwhelming consensus.

Current legislation in Japan does not have any rule for Emperor’s abdication. Article 2 of Constitution of Japan rules that succeeding throne is determined in accordance with Imperial House Law and the law does not say about abdication. As the national anthem of Japan says, Emperor’s throne is supposed as continuing forever. Akihito cast deep skepticism on that conceptual misleading.

Liberal Democratic Party found that amendment of Imperial House Law would be difficult in terms of setting condition about intention or appropriate age for abdication and upheld special legislation for Akihito. Komeito followed the opinion of LDP as usual, as well as other small conservative parties.

Democratic Party kept firm standpoint that abdication would need amendment of Imperial House Law. It proposed establishing Imperial House Commission headed by Prime Minister to discuss abdication. Other opposite parties including Japan Communist Party or Social Democratic Party also demanded amendment of Imperial House Law.

Having realized deep opposition between the parties, Speaker of House of Representatives, Tadamori Oshima, embarked on coordinating to find consensus of the legislative branch. Newspapers reported that Oshima proposed his idea to insert supplementary provisions in Imperial House Law, which would be a legal basis of special law for Akihito.

LDP and Komeito are basically accepting Oshima’s proposal. Vice-President of LDP, Masahiko Komura, stated that the party would clarify the relationship of Constitution, Imperial House Law and special law as long as different opinion existed. On the other hand, Secretary General of DP, Yoshihiko Noda, told that the issue could only be treated with amendment of Imperial House Law.

The Constitution determines that the Emperor’s position is derived from the will of the people with whom resides sovereign power. But the will of the Diet, which is the highest organ of state power, does not look like converging in one conclusion. Although their opinions will be submitted to experts’ conference under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, clear goal of the argument cannot be seen.