Tokyo, Aug. 5 (Jiji Press)–Senior officials of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the biggest opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan agreed Wednesday to restart off-session debates over the novel coronavirus epidemic at the Diet, the country’s parliament, on Aug. 19.
Hiroshi Moriyama, the LDP’s Diet affairs chief and his CDPJ counterpart, Jun Azumi, reached the accord at their meeting on Wednesday. This year’s ordinary session of the Diet ended in June.
Azumi demanded that intensive budget committee debates attended by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe be held. But Moriyama was cautious, saying only that more talks on the request will be held.
Moriyama and Azumi agreed that a meeting of the House of Representatives Committee on Health, Labor and Welfare will be held on Aug. 19 and a meeting of the Lower House Committee on Cabinet on Aug. 26. Meetings of the corresponding committees of the House of Councillors, the upper chamber, will take place on Aug. 20 and Aug. 27, respectively. The budget committees of both houses may be held on Sept. 2-3.
Azumi also called for meetings of the financial affairs, internal affairs, and agriculture, forestry and fisheries committees. The ruling bloc is expected to accept the request.
