Latest news with #LiberalDemocraticParty
The Mainichi
4 hours ago
- Politics
- The Mainichi
Opposition chief sorry for calling gov't reserve rice "animal feed"
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Yuichiro Tamaki, leader of the increasingly popular opposition party in Japan, apologized Saturday for having referred to the government's rice stockpiles as "animal feed," days after drawing criticism on social media. Tamaki, who heads the Democratic Party for the People, said on a TV program, "I regret that I caused discomfort to those who have been waiting for the government's stockpiled rice" amid soaring prices of the Japanese staple food, adding, "I would like to apologize." During a parliamentary session on Wednesday, Tamaki, whose party has pitched policies aimed at appealing to younger voters, said, "Even if you say you're selling at a low price something that would end up as animal feed in a year, it's not something people truly need." Tamaki was apparently pointing to stockpiled rice from the 2021 harvest, which the government is releasing to the public in an effort to curb surging prices across the country. On Saturday, Hiroshi Moriyama, secretary general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, said at a meeting in Kagoshima Prefecture, where agriculture is a core industry, that Tamaki was "disrespectful to the farmers who put their heart and soul into their work." Yoshihiko Noda, leader of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, also criticized Tamaki's remark at a press conference on Friday, calling it "not appropriate."
Japan Today
20 hours ago
- Politics
- Japan Today
Diet begins debate on dual surname bill for 1st time in 28 years
The Diet on Friday began its first deliberations in 28 years on legislation that would give married couples the option of keeping different surnames. The passage of any of the three bills submitted separately by three opposition parties, however, looks unlikely during the current Diet session through late June, despite growing public acceptance of their push to change the longstanding rule requiring married couples to share a single family name. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party led by Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who heads a minority government, remains reluctant to allow the change, with some within the party concerned that it would hurt family cohesion and traditional values. A revision to the Civil Code is required to enable couples to keep different family names after marriage. Up to now, it is mostly women who abandon their maiden names. Among the vocal supporters of introducing a dual family-name system, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan seeks to allow people to choose whether to retain their family name or change it to their partner's. The couples would be required to decide, upon marriage, which of their family names their children will use. The Democratic Party for the People also wants to allow separate family names, but, according to its bill, children should automatically use the family name of the head of the household couples designated in their family register. The Japan Innovation Party, meanwhile, is sticking to the principle of one family name for each household. But it aims to give legal status when a person uses their premarriage name even after wedlock by allowing it to be specified in the family register. In 1996, the Justice Ministry's legal counsel recommended that couples should be able to choose to keep different family names upon marriage and decide in advance which family name will identify their children, although the same name should be used by all offspring. The following year, parliament deliberated on an opposition-submitted bill to revise the Civil Code that would have opened the way for the dual surname system. Since then, Japan has made little headway in making the change. In recent years, business leaders have been stepping up calls for introducing the system of different surnames, and the public has warmed to the idea. In a Kyodo News poll, 71 percent of respondents supported the dual family-name system, while 27 percent were opposed. Ishiba has stressed the need for the LDP to deepen internal debate on the issue, but the ruling party has yet to reach a consensus ahead of the House of Councillors election. © KYODO
Kyodo News
a day ago
- Politics
- Kyodo News
Japan Diet begins debate on dual surname bill for 1st time in 28 yrs
KYODO NEWS - 5 hours ago - 15:01 | All, Japan Japan's parliament on Friday began its first deliberations in 28 years on legislation that would give married couples the option of keeping different surnames. The passage of any of the three bills submitted separately by three opposition parties, however, looks unlikely during the current Diet session through late June, despite growing public acceptance of their push to change the longstanding rule requiring married couples to share a single family name. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party led by Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who heads a minority government, remains reluctant to allow the change, with some within the party concerned that it would hurt family cohesion and traditional values. A revision to the Civil Code is required to enable couples to keep different family names after marriage. Up to now, it is mostly women who abandon their maiden names. Among the vocal supporters of introducing a dual family-name system, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan seeks to allow people to choose whether to retain their family name or change it to their partner's. The couples would be required to decide, upon marriage, which of their family names their children will use. The Democratic Party for the People also wants to allow separate family names, but, according to its bill, children should automatically use the family name of the head of the household couples designated in their family register. The Japan Innovation Party, meanwhile, is sticking to the principle of one family name for each household. But it aims to give legal status when a person uses their premarriage name even after wedlock by allowing it to be specified in the family register. In 1996, the Justice Ministry's legal counsel recommended that couples should be able to choose to keep different family names upon marriage and decide in advance which family name will identify their children, although the same name should be used by all offspring. The following year, parliament deliberated on an opposition-submitted bill to revise the Civil Code that would have opened the way for the dual surname system. Since then, Japan has made little headway in making the change. In recent years, business leaders have been stepping up calls for introducing the system of different surnames, and the public has warmed to the idea. In a Kyodo News poll, 71 percent of respondents supported the dual family-name system, while 27 percent were opposed. Ishiba has stressed the need for the LDP to deepen internal debate on the issue, but the ruling party has yet to reach a consensus ahead of the House of Councillors election. Related coverage: Japan surname law cited in 30% of common-law unions: survey Over 40% of Japanese want to use old surnames at work after marriage
The Mainichi
a day ago
- Politics
- The Mainichi
Japan Diet begins debate on dual surname bill for 1st time in 28 yrs
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan's parliament on Friday began its first deliberations in 28 years on legislation that would give married couples the option of keeping different surnames. The passage of any of the three bills submitted separately by three opposition parties, however, looks unlikely during the current Diet session through late June, despite growing public acceptance of their push to change the longstanding rule requiring married couples to share a single family name. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party led by Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who heads a minority government, remains reluctant to allow the change, with some within the party concerned that it would hurt family cohesion and traditional values. A revision to the Civil Code is required to enable couples to keep different family names after marriage. Up to now, it is mostly women who abandon their maiden names. Among the vocal supporters of introducing a dual family-name system, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan seeks to allow people to choose whether to retain their family name or change it to their partner's. The couples would be required to decide, upon marriage, which of their family names their children will use. The Democratic Party for the People also wants to allow separate family names, but, according to its bill, children should automatically use the family name of the head of the household couples designated in their family register. The Japan Innovation Party, meanwhile, is sticking to the principle of one family name for each household. But it aims to give legal status when a person uses their premarriage name even after wedlock by allowing it to be specified in the family register. In 1996, the Justice Ministry's legal counsel recommended that couples should be able to choose to keep different family names upon marriage and decide in advance which family name will identify their children, although the same name should be used by all offspring. The following year, parliament deliberated on an opposition-submitted bill to revise the Civil Code that would have opened the way for the dual surname system. Since then, Japan has made little headway in making the change. In recent years, business leaders have been stepping up calls for introducing the system of different surnames, and the public has warmed to the idea. In a Kyodo News poll, 71 percent of respondents supported the dual family-name system, while 27 percent were opposed. Ishiba has stressed the need for the LDP to deepen internal debate on the issue, but the ruling party has yet to reach a consensus ahead of the House of Councillors election.
a day ago
- Politics
Some LDP Lawmakers Wary of Koizumi's Drastic Rice Price Policy
News from Japan Politics May 30, 2025 15:44 (JST) Tokyo, May 30 (Jiji Press)--Japanese ruling party lawmakers representing the interests of farmers are growing wary of agriculture minister Shinjiro Koizumi's drastic measures to lower rice prices. The special-interest members of the Liberal Democratic Party fear that Koizumi's radical approach may cause farmers, a key support bloc, to distance themselves from the party ahead of this summer's election for the House of Councillors, the upper chamber of Japan's parliament. However, they also want to avoid being painted as a resistance force against Koizumi, who is popular among the public. While recognizing the need to curb rice prices, they call for expanding assistance to producers in hopes of maintaining their support. "It's extremely important to dispel the sense of (rice) shortage," Koizumi told an Upper House agriculture committee meeting Thursday, emphasizing his plan to lower prices by selling government-stockpiled rice through discretionary contracts. "We'll first make (rice prices) settle down to some extent, then we can begin discussions on appropriate prices," he also said. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press
