Brushing off vocal protests by opposition lawmakers, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling coalition Friday passed a bill to ratify the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement at a special Lower House committee, sparking criticism that it resorted to a steamroll vote.
Upon the bill's adoption, the committee descended into pandemonium, with a wave of agitated lawmakers from the Democratic Party, the main opposition force, swarming Chairman Ryu Shionoya in a gesture of protest. They yelled, tussled and held up pieces of paper that said, "No steamroll vote!" and "We're against TPP!"
The DP and the Japanese Communist Party had boycotted most of Friday's session.
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