Key Facts
• On September 11, 10 opposition parties in the Upper House submitted a written request to Speaker Sekiguchi.
• The request, based on Article 53 of the Constitution, demands an early convening of a special Diet session.
• Signatories include the Constitutional Democratic Party, Democratic Party for the People, Japan Innovation Party, and others, totaling 121 members.
• A similar request was submitted by nine opposition parties in the Lower House on September 10.
• Article 53 mandates the Cabinet to convene a special session if requested by at least one-fourth of members in either house, but timing is left to the Cabinet’s discretion.
• Saito, the Constitutional Democratic Party’s Upper House Diet Affairs Committee Chair, criticized the prolonged political vacuum and internal power struggles within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
Summary
Ten opposition parties in Japan’s Upper House, representing nearly half of its members, have formally requested the convening of a special Diet session under Article 53 of the Constitution. This follows a similar request by nine opposition parties in the Lower House. The article obligates the Cabinet to act on such requests but does not specify a timeline, leaving the decision to the Cabinet’s judgment. Opposition leaders, including Saito of the Constitutional Democratic Party, have expressed concerns over the lack of parliamentary deliberations and ongoing political instability caused by internal conflicts within the ruling party.
