Kishida Cabinet Faces No-Confidence Motion

Tokyo, June 8 (Jiji Press)--The major opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan submitted no-confidence motions against Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's cabinet and House of Representatives Speaker Hiroyuki Hosoda to the Lower House on Wednesday.

The move underscores the CDP's determination to take a confrontational stance toward the Kishida administration ahead of this summer's House of Councillors election.

"We must object to the Kishida administration for failing to address higher prices and the Bank of Japan for not understanding the plight of people," CDP leader Kenta Izumi told reporters in Unnan, Shimane Prefecture, western Japan.

The Lower House, which is controlled by Kishida's ruling coalition, is expected to vote down both motions Thursday, although they are likely to be supported by the Japanese Communist Party and the Social Democratic Party in addition to the CDP.

"The ruling bloc wants to reject the motions without making a fuss," Toshimitsu Motegi, secretary-general of Kishida's Liberal Democratic Party, said at a meeting of government and ruling coalition officials.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]