Latest news with #LowerHouse
Asahi Shimbun
4 days ago
- Politics
- Asahi Shimbun
Lower House reviews three bills on dual surname issue
Takahiro Kuroiwa of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan goes over the outline of a bill he submitted for dual surnames during the Lower House Committee on Judicial Affairs' meeting on May 30. (Takeshi Iwashita) The Lower House Committee on Judicial Affairs began discussions on May 30 on multiple opposition party bills that would allow married couples to have different surnames, the first time it has met on the issue since 1997. The three bills vary in framework and were submitted by the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, the Democratic Party for the People and the Japan Innovation Party (Nippon Ishin). Even though all three bills are unlikely to pass, any making it to the voting stage would mark a first for any piece of dual surname legislation and put the pertinent party's convictions to the test. One past instance where resolve crumbled was in 1991 when the justice minister at the time requested the ministry's Legislative Council to review the single-surname policy. Japan's ratification of the United Nation's Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) prompted this request because the CEDAW committee usually demanded its member parties to correct their domestic laws discriminating against women. The Legislative Council then proposed allowing each spouse to choose their last names in 1996 and the government responded positively with a plan to submit a bill to revise related civil laws. The plan was shut down after opposition from conservative members of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. The next push for dual surnames saw more success when the now-dissolved Democratic Party of Japan's bill made it to the Lower House in 1997. However, the Judicial Affairs Committee discussed the bill but didn't hold a vote and the bill was abandoned. Although married couples can choose to adopt either spouse's last name, more than 90 percent of women change their surname to their husband's. This has prompted four separate instances, as of last year, where the CEDAW committee has recommended that the Japanese government revise the civil law around family names. SAME INTENT, DIFFERENT APPROACHES The ruling LDP has lawmakers who both support and oppose the issue. This internal division has led to the party postponing its decision on whether to submit its own bill and no set timeline on when this would occur. The three bills submitted were discussed simultaneously during the Lower House committee session, with lawmakers from each party outlining each of their respective bills. Of these, the bill of the CDP of Japan most closely matches what the Justice Ministry's Legislative Council proposed and would grant married couples the freedom to either share or keep their respective surnames. If a couple opts for separate last names, the legal marriage process will include a required step where they must choose which name their children will use should they have any. Regardless of their choice of a single or separate surnames, the couple and their children are registered as the same family. The DPP's bill is also based on the Legislative Council's outline. Its key difference is that couples must choose who to register as the head of the family and this will dictate the surname of any future children. The party tailored its bill to better suit couples without children in recognition that not every married couple has them. Nippon Ishin, meanwhile, is the outlier. Its bill maintains the one-surname policy but also provides legal assurances for the official use of maiden names as the practice currently has no legal framework. Its outline indicates that spouses have the option to also register a maiden name that can be used for the My Number Card system without having to also list their registered surname. Further discussion on the three bills will occur next week and requests for expert testimonies are also expected. The CDP currently chairs the committee and the party appears to be seeking a vote, a contrast to the LDP's current indecisiveness.
Asahi Shimbun
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Asahi Shimbun
Former SCJ leaders again urge scrapping of reform bill
Takaaki Kajita, a former president of the Science Council of Japan at left, speaks at a news conference in Tokyo on May 20. (Takahiro Takenouchi) Six former presidents of the Science Council of Japan issued a joint statement calling for the withdrawal of a controversial government-backed bill that would transform the council into an independent legal entity under closer government oversight. 'Academic freedom and democracy are being undermined,' said Takaaki Kajita, one of the former leaders and a Nobel laureate physicist, at a news conference on May 20. The bill proposes a reform of the SCJ that comprises 210 of the nation's top academics and serves as an advisory body to the government. It would create positions for auditors appointed by the prime minister from outside the council. It would also remove the preamble of the current SCJ Law affirming the council's autonomy. Given these changes, the statement criticized the bill's goal as an attempt to place the council more directly under government supervision, dubbing it the 'SCJ Control Law.' The former presidents called for the bill to be scrapped and for trust to be rebuilt between the government and the SCJ. Kajita, who recently testified at a Lower House committee discussing the bill, criticized the pro-reform arguments as superficial. 'They say the shift to an 'independent' legal entity would increase autonomy, but reading the bill makes it clear why there are concerns,' he said. The bill passed the Lower House on May 13 with support from the ruling parties. Opposition parties opposed it, arguing that it undermines the organization's independence from the government. 'Concerns raised by opposition parties have brought serious issues in the bill to light,' said Takashi Onishi, a professor emeritus at the University of Tokyo and an urban planning specialist. 'We urge the Upper House to continue this critical discussion.' The statement marks the fourth time since 2020 that past SCJ presidents have issued a collective appeal. That year, then-Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga sparked a public outcry by rejecting the appointment of six scholars nominated by the SCJ—an unprecedented move that triggered ongoing tensions between the government and the nation's scientific community.
Asahi Shimbun
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Asahi Shimbun
Nippon Ishin submits bill to Diet to legalize maiden names
Nippon Ishin (Japan Innovation Party) members heads to the Lower House to submit a bill to legalize the use of maiden names as common names on May 19. (Takeshi Iwashita) Opposition Nippon Ishin (Japan Innovation Party) submitted a bill to the Lower House on May 19 to maintain the much-criticized 'one-surname' policy but allow for the legal use of maiden names. The party's plan is a departure from the bill submitted by the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan in April to allow married couples to use dual surnames. Nippon Ishin's bill would essentially uphold the principle of 'same family register and same family surname.' But it would also legally recognize a married person's maiden name as a 'common name' if so desired. Currently, couples can use dual surnames for their passports and My Number identification cards, but Nippon Ishin's bill would allow the use of only the legal common names. Public opinion polls have shown increasing support for a change in the legal system to allow couples to register their marriages under dual surnames. There have also been calls within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party to legalize the use of maiden names, but LDP leadership is cautious about consolidating the party's views. Like the bill submitted by the CDP, Nippon Ishin's proposal does not appear to be supported by a majority in the Lower House, so it likely won't be passed during the current Diet session. 'LOSS OF IDENTITY' Article 750 of the Civil Code stipulates that upon marriage, 'the husband or wife shall take the family name of his or her spouse.' This means married couples in Japan are obliged to use the same family name. An overwhelming 95 percent of married couples take the husband's surname, according to a 2023 survey by the Cabinet Office. Critics have said the spouse who loses his or her family name upon marriage faces such disadvantages as a 'loss of identity' and 'inconvenience in daily life and work.' However, opponents of a dual-surname system argue that it would have 'undesirable effects' on the couple's children, and that the 'one-surname' policy is well-established in Japan.' The business community, local assemblies and others have called on the central government to activate discussions to introduce the system as soon as possible. Some LDP lawmakers have proposed keeping the one-surname system but promoting an 'expansion of the use of the maiden name as a common name.' Junior coalition partner Komeito, which submitted a proposal to the Diet to introduce such a system in 2001, wants the ruling parties to establish a forum to discuss the issue. (This article was compiled from reports written by Ryohei Miyawaki and Suzuka Tominaga.)
Asahi Shimbun
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Asahi Shimbun
EDITORIAL: Let Diet members vote freely on married couple surname system
Members of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan submit a bill to the Lower House in late April for a new surname system for married couples. (Takeshi Iwashita) One part of Hikaru Utada's latest song created a buzz on social media over the Golden Week of national holidays in early May because of lyrics that asked, 'In what year of the Reiwa Era (2019-present) will it be OK in this nation for married couples to use separate surnames?' While the lyrics can be interpreted in a number of ways, there is no doubt it shows the high interest in how surnames should be used by married couples. The proposed system for choosing separate surnames upon marriage gave couples the freedom to choose either using one of their surnames by both or continuing to use separate surnames that each used until marriage. The Justice Ministry's Legislative Council issued its recommendations about the surname system in 1996, so all the major points of debate have been placed on the table in the ensuing 29 years. Under current law, couples can choose between the surnames of the husband and wife, but in actual practice wives in 95 percent of the cases change their surname. The U.N.'s Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women has issued recommendations to the Japanese government on four occasions calling for legal revisions because the current provision forcing couples to use the same surname is 'discriminatory.' In 2024, Keidanren (Japan Business Federation) called for legal revisions as soon as possible. Above all, the sudden breach of the achievements and assessment built up through work before marriage is severe. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has said in the Diet that there was no good reason for delaying reaching a conclusion to the issue. The legislative branch will be seen as negligent if the situation of the Diet not doing anything should continue. But the ruling Liberal Democratic Party has already decided not to summarize opinions among members in the current Diet session. The opposition parties that appeared to be more in favor of a new surname system are also not on the same page. In late April, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan submitted a bill in the Lower House that proposed having the couple choose a surname at marriage and using the same surname for all their children. The proposal more closely followed the recommendations of the Legislative Council because of concerns raised about the 2022 proposal compiled by five opposition parties that said the surname of children could be decided at their birth. There were concerns that proposal would lead to the possibility of siblings having different surnames. But support for the proposals has not spread. The Democratic Party for the People included a plank in its platform for the Lower House election last October that called for introducing a new surname system. But party leaders have made comments that are more cautious about pushing forward. While junior coalition partner Komeito's stance is that any legislation should be submitted by the government, it has not been aggressive in encouraging discussions within the LDP. Serious discussions should be held in the Diet on the proposals submitted by the opposition. And it would be preferable if parties allowed members to vote according to their conscience when the bill came up for a vote rather than forcing them to toe the party line. That would more appropriately reflect the views held by society as a whole. It is Diet members who are the representatives of the people and it has been pointed out that excessively forcing all party members to vote the same way interferes with active discussions in the Diet. There have been past cases in which parties allowed members to vote however they chose, particularly on legislation that was closely tied to the views of values and ethics held by lawmakers, including the bill on organ transplantation. Delaying Diet discussions just because the LDP cannot come up with an internal consensus is inexcusable. Each individual lawmaker will be asked to choose between overlooking the entrenchment of inequality or showing greater respect for the individual. --The Asahi Shimbun, May 17
News.com.au
18-05-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Returned Labor government could be a win for Queensland gas
Labor has secured a clear majority in the Lower House following a landslide electoral victory Government has reiterated the importance of gas in the energy mix to back up renewables Natural gas is also important in the manufacturing and industrial sectors The Australian Federal Election is now in the rear view and the question that's likely on the minds of those in the oil and gas industry will undoubtedly now be what impact the returned Labor government will have. What is clear though is there's some relief that the result did not result in a Labor minority reliant on support from the Greens, a party outright hostile to anything to do with petroleum, and/or independents to form government and pass legislation. Though the results might not be the preferred result of some parties – the Coalition is perceived as more business friendly – a far stronger Labor Government isn't unwelcome either. With an overwhelming majority in the House of Representatives, the Albanese government will have little trouble ramming through legislation to the Senate where it need to secure support from either the Coalition or Greens to pass laws. With both Labor and the Coalition acknowledging that gas plays an important role in the country's energy mix, that might not be all that bad for the oil and gas industry. Labor, for instance, might have mis-stepped with its controversial $12/GJ gas cap, but did eventually realise its error and started handing out exemptions. Further highlighting this, Resources Minister Madeline King reiterated in an interview with ABC Radio on May 15 that the government was committed to the Future Gas Strategy, saying that it is an important roadmap for where gas sits and that it will backup renewables. She also noted that Australia's customers in Japan and in Korea still needed access to natural gas and would probably need supplies to support their renewables push longer than Australia would. Not just for energy But energy generation is just one facet of the natural gas story. Natural gas is also used in brickmaking, as feedstock for industrial processes and for producing ammonia fertiliser. Comet Ridge (ASX:COI) managing director Tor McCaul told Stockhead that most people in Australia only saw natural gas as being used for generating power and did not fully understand its importance in manufacturing. 'There's an ignorance about how useful gas is. It is used to manufacture glass, bricks and aluminium. You can't build a house without it,' he said. 'From an East Coast perspective, 70% or more of the gas consumed is actually about manufacturing, it's not about power. 'If you want a Made in Australia (policy), then really natural gas has to underpin that. 'To some degree, I think we've got a bit of a mandate here now to push forward with gas to support renewables and support manufacturing.' Importance to manufacturing aside, McCaul warned that demand for power will only go up due to incremental increases from data centres powering the artificial intelligence revolution. He also drew on his personal experience about the big risk in the southern states around power supply. 'I spent three and a half years in Pakistan and I kind of know what it's like when the government cycles half the suburbs on and the other half off every couple of hours. It's not a lot of fun.' Looking ahead, McCaul said that Australia had to ensure it did not renege on its LNG export contracts or damage our international standing. 'You take decades to build a reputation as a reliable, dependable producer, and you can literally destroy that in a matter of a month or two,' he added. 'Not only do these international customers sign up for long term take or pay contracts, but some of them actually put in billions of dollars to the owners of the project and actually own some of the infrastructure. 'To take those cargoes off them and send them south because Victorians have an ideological hatred of gas is really quite unfair. 'I think in the longer term Australia will suffer for that, and it will hurt investment, not only in the gas sector but also other sectors. 'The thing going forward is developing more indigenous supply. We need to develop gas that's under our own feet as there will never be a cheaper molecule. 'Stop reducing our own supply as paying for overseas gas to come in actually generate more emissions.' Queensland gas supply While the southern states – Victoria and New South Wales – are still shying away, Queensland has no such issues and has the gas reserves to meet that demand. 'We actually have the capacity here (in Queensland) to give to Victoria. The problem the southern states have in relying on is that we can't get it there because the pipelines are full,' McCaul said. 'APA is now investing to increase the capacity going south and I understand it could be as much as 25%, but that'll take two or three or four years to implement. 'So there's still a risk for the next few years, and even then it is really incumbent on New South Wales and Victoria to develop their own gas. 'Victoria needs gas for manufacturing. Sorbent has moved the manufacturing of certain products to Asia. 'Not having enough gas just shifts business offshore, shifts jobs offshore and maybe the planet is worse off for it.' Even if the two southern states get on the bandwagon, there will still be a need for new gas supplies. Building new supplies McCaul's Comet Ridge is one of several ASX-listed juniors that are exploring and/or developing new reserves of gas in Queensland. The company has a 57.14% interest in the Mahalo Gas Project joint venture with Santos (ASX:STO), which has proved and probable (2P) gas reserves of 266 petajoules and a further 315PJ in best estimate (2C) contingent gas resources. 'The big news for us this year is we've now got two FEED studies running concurrently at Mahalo in the joint venture block with Santos,' McCaul said. 'We've got Santos doing the front end engineering design on the compression and the wells and the gathering system and we've got Jemena now pushing very hard through the pipeline FEED. 'Jemena are looking at a 10 inch pipeline over about 80 kilometres and it'll have dual connection. It will go initially into the Jemena line and then it'll go also across the paddock into the Santos GLNG line. 'Mahalo Hub will be able to supply domestic and export, and ... I think that balance is really important. We've also got a pilot running at Mahalo East and we expect to have our reserves package off to our auditor in the next week or two. 'And that's been helped by a $5 million Queensland State Government grant that we competitively bid for and won.' Comet Ridge also has a 100% interest in Mahalo North and East projects, which are expected to be developed through the central Mahalo JV system. Mahalo North has 2P reserves of 43PJ and proven gas production with the Mahalo North-1 pilot having produced 1.75 million cubic feet per day of gas during testing. Flow testing of the Mahalo East pilot is currently underway with success expected to allow the company to convert most if not all of Mahalo East's existing (2C) contingent resource of 31 petajoules into 2P reserves. 'We see Mahalo Hub through two lenses,' McCaul added. 'We see it through the Santos joint venture lens where we're a 57% equity holder and we've got a good partnership and team there with Santos and Jemena. 'And then we've got almost the same area across the northern blocks. And three of those four northern blocks have got a domestic market obligation. So we're talking to a range of customers about gas sales aggregators and power generators.' He added the company still its permits in the Galilee Basin that significant gas potential and would turn its attention there after getting Mahalo up and running, a process that it will focus on for the next couple of years. FID for Mahalo is expected to be in Q1 2026 with gas production starting in the second half of 2027, though McCaul said the joint venture was working hard to make it happen a little earlier. Terrific Taroom Over in the Taroom Trough, Omega Oil & Gas (ASX:OMA) encountered a little bit of a surprise after finding that its Canyon project might be more of an oil and gas play rather than a condensate-rich gas resource. During the flow-testing period, the well flowed at a peak rate of 452 barrels of oil and 600,000 standard cubic feet of gas per day and a sustained rate of 321bpd of oil and 472,000scfd gas from a 650m interval in the target Canyon sandstone. For future development wells, this is equivalent to a sustained rate of 987bpd of oil and 1.45 million (MM) scfd of gas from a 2000m lateral, which the company said in late March demonstrated the Canyon project area hosted material oil and gas plays. For comparison's sake, it also translates to a gas equivalent flow rate of ~7.4MMscfd, significantly higher than the peak flow rate of 2.6MMscfd achieved at fellow Taroom Trough operator Elixir Energy's (ASX:EXR) Daydream-2 vertical appraisal well. Adding further interest, the flow of oil and gas comes from just one of several pay zones, some of which might have more gas than oil. The fluid system and production profile are similar to benchmarks like the Bakken, the Permian, Wolf Camp A and also certain areas of the Scoop and Stack formations in Oklahoma. There is also plenty of opportunity to optimise the drilling process. Fellow Taroom player Elixir recently launched a three-phase strategic plan that seeks to firstly secure the long-term retention of its acreage before focusing on targeted investment to deliver its first 2P reserves. The company hopes to produce by late 2027. Its strategic plan is built around a fast-follower approach in the Taroom Trough, by leveraging surrounding development activity and investment to drive rapid advancement. Meanwhile, QPM Energy (ASX:QPM) supplies gas from its Moranbah project to industrial customers and the Townsville Power Station, a peaking gas plant that operates for three to seven hours per day during peak morning and evening periods when electricity prices are at their highest. In late April 2025, the company increased 2P reserves by 33% to 435 petajoules with more than 300PJ remaining uncontracted. It also represents a 166PJ increase in 2P reserves since it acquired the project in August 2023, a noteworthy achievement given that Moranbah is a producing project. A major reassessment, which included validation of the project's geological dataset and integration of historical production data, found that a larger volume of gas is contained within its petroleum leases than previously estimated, which in turn has the potential to underpin further reserve upgrades. The project currently produces 22-24 terajoules of gas per day from more than 125 wells. Existing infrastructure includes over 500km of gas-gathering and water pipelines, a 150km electricity distribution network, 64TJ/d of compression capacity, the 160 megawatt Townsville power station and the 12.8MW Moranbah power station.
