Latest news with #House of Councilors
Japan Times
a day ago
- Business
- Japan Times
Eight opposition parties agree to push for extra gasoline tax to be scrapped
Eight opposition parties on Tuesday agreed to push for scrapping the provisional add-on gasoline tax rate on Nov. 1. At the day's meeting among policy chiefs, the parties, including the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP), affirmed a plan to jointly submit a bill to implement such a tax cut during an extraordinary parliamentary session slated to be convened Friday. The opposition parties are hoping to raise public expectations for political change, as the ruling coalition no longer holds a majority in either chamber of parliament after losing their combined majority in the July 20 election for the House of Councilors, the upper chamber. Meanwhile, the CDP is aiming to foster trust among opposition parties. Tuesday's meeting was attended by policy chiefs from the CDP, Nippon Ishin no Kai, the Democratic Party for the People, Sanseito, Reiwa Shinsengumi, the Japanese Communist Party, the Conservative Party of Japan and the Social Democratic Party. The CDP plans to call on the ruling camp of the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito to hold talks on ways to ensure the abolition of the provisional gasoline tax rate. "We'll strongly push for the enactment (of the bill) during next month's extraordinary parliamentary session," CDP policy chief Kazuhiko Shigetoku told reporters after the meeting. "We'll not allow the tax cut to be postponed beyond Nov. 1," he added. As the LDP has expressed reluctance to scrap the extra gasoline tax rate starting in November, talks between the ruling and opposition parties may stall.
Japan Times
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Japan Times
Voter turnout reaches 58.52% in Japan's Upper House poll
Voter turnout in Sunday's election for Japan's House of Councilors stood at 58.52% as of 2:30 a.m. on Monday, up from 52.05% in the previous Upper House election in 2022, according to a tally. The number of people who cast their ballots under the early voting system ahead of the election came in at 26,181,865, a record high for any national poll in the country, accounting for 25.12% of all eligible voters, according to the internal affairs ministry. The figure was up by 6,568,390 voters from the previous Upper House election in 2022. The increase apparently came since the election was scheduled for the second day of a three-day weekend. The number of early voters rose in all 47 prefectures, with Miyazaki logging the biggest increase, of 49.43%. Kumamoto followed, with a climb of 44.59%, and Kochi, with 43.31%.
