Interpellations have gone into full gear in the current ordinary Diet session, which started on Jan. 24. Japan faces various domestic and diplomatic issues. This is the first time since 2007, when Shinzo Abe was in his first tenure as prime minister, that the ruling bloc participates in an ordinary Diet session while controlling both legislative chambers.
In the July Upper House election, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito won big and gained control of that Diet chamber. The ruling force should refrain from the kind of forceful Diet management that it adopted in passing the state secrets bill in the extraordinary session that followed the Upper House election.
Prime Minister Abe originally dubbed the extraordinary Diet session as a session to fully discuss measures designed to firmly put the nation on a path of steady economic growth. But instead the Abe administration focused on railroading the state secrets bill through the Diet without addressing widespread concerns that it would strictly restrict public access to government information, thus violating the people's right to know and freedom of the press.
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