Japan Lower House Panel to Start Immigration Law Debates Wed.

November 21, 2018

Tokyo--The Committee on Judicial Affairs of Japan's House of Representatives decided Tuesday to start substantive debates Wednesday on an immigration control law amendment aimed at accepting more foreign workers in Japan.

At Tuesday's meeting of executives of the committee, Yasuhiro Hanashi, chairman of the panel and a member of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, decided on the move by using his authority.

The LDP and its coalition partner, Komeito, aim to get the bill through the lower chamber of the Diet, Japan's parliament, on Nov. 27.

At a Lower House plenary meeting earlier on Tuesday, a motion to remove Hanashi from the post of committee chairman was voted down by the ruling bloc and others including Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Innovation Party). The motion was submitted by the major opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan.

Hanashi also decided that the judicial committee will hold a question-and-answer session with experts on Thursday although the panel has not been scheduled to hold debates on that day.

The opposition side is ramping up its protest after errors were found in the results of the government's probe into foreign trainees in Japan who disappeared.

The ruling coalition aims to enact the bill during the ongoing extraordinary Diet session, scheduled to end on Dec. 10. With the Diet schedule being very tight, however, the ruling side is expected to consider the possibility of extending the session.

At a press conference on Tuesday, Hiroshi Moriyama, chairman of the LDP's Diet Affairs Committee, said that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's overseas trip schedule needs to be taken into consideration in regard to the deliberations on the immigration control law amendment.

He also said, "We will have to send the bill to the House of Councillors by Nov. 27 if we are to hold an Upper House meeting for an explanation on the bill and a question-and-answer session with the participation of Prime Minister Abe on Nov. 28."

Abe is slated to attend the two-day meeting of leaders from the Group of 20 advanced and emerging economies in Argentina from Nov. 30 and hopes to visit some other countries after the G-20 summit. Jiji Press