(Mainichi: March 18, 2015 – p. 5)
As the budget for fiscal 2015 has cleared the House of Representatives, the main focus of attention in the Diet will now shift to deliberations on important bills. In addition to security-related bills based on the cabinet decision last July that allows Japan to exercise the right to collective self-defense, many bills, including one to revise the Worker Dispatching Law that was scrapped at the regular and extraordinary Diet sessions last year, are expected to be submitted to the ongoing session. Ruling and opposition parties are certain to lock horns on those bills. In order to secure enough time for deliberations, some lawmakers are already talking about a plan to extend the term of the current Diet session. (Abridged)
Major bills expected to be deliberated during current Diet session
|
Name of bill |
Main contents |
Opposition’s criticism |
Other major bills |
|
Agricultural cooperative system reform-related bills |
Abolish JA-Zenchu’s right to supervise and audit regional cooperatives |
Makeshift measures
Incomes of farmers will not increase. |
Medical insurance system reform legislation
Bills revising electricity enterprises law and other laws
Bill revising the law on establishment of Defense Ministry
Bill to reform the criminal procedure law
Bill to revise the public offices election law (lawmaker-initiated legislation) |
|
Bill to revise the worker dispatching law |
Conditionally remove the upper limit (up to three years) for hiring of temporary workers by all businesses |
Number of temporary workers will increase.
A system for “life-time dispatched workers” would be created. |
|
|
Bill revising the labor standards law |
Introduce performance-based pay system for special occupations requiring high-level expertise |
Known as “Zero overtime pay bill.”
Working long hours will be encouraged. |
|
|
Security-related bills |
Allows the exercise of collective self-defense right based on cabinet decision last July |
Constitutional reinterpretation by a cabinet runs counter to constitutionalism.
Will lead to participation in war overseas |
