(Yomiuri: April 17, 2015 – p. 4)

 House of Representatives Speaker Nobutaka Machimura was unable to attend a Lower House plenary session on April 16 due to illness. Lower House Steering Committee Chairman Mikio Hayashi briefed reporters on Machimura’s condition, by saying, “He fell ill on the night of April 14 and has been hospitalized for tests. Hayashi indicated that Machimura will not be able to attend the plenary session on April 17. The details of his health condition have not been disclosed. Machimura was hospitalized in September 2012 during the campaign for the Liberal Democratic Party’s leadership election due to a mini-stroke.