Japan Parties Agree to Put Off Vote on Civil Code Revision

Tokyo, Nov. 14 (Jiji Press)--Japan's ruling and opposition parties agreed Monday to put off a vote by the full House of Representatives on a bill to revise the country's Civil Code over the resignation late last week of former Justice Minister Yasuhiro Hanashi.

The ruling coalition aimed to put the bill to a vote at a plenary meeting of the Lower House on Tuesday. But the opposition camp demanded Prime Minister Fumio Kishida explain about and apologize for the replacement of Hanashi at a Lower House plenary meeting after he returns from his ongoing overseas trip.

The Lower House vote was initially slated for Thursday, but has been postponed due to a controversial remark about capital punishment by the then justice minister.

At a meeting of the parliamentary affairs chiefs of ruling and opposition parties on Monday, Jun Azumi of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan criticized Kishida for removing Hanashi from the ministerial post on Friday just after both Kishida and Hanashi denied the possibility of Hanashi's resignation at a parliamentary meeting earlier in that day.

Kishida "lacked respect for the Diet," the country's parliament, Azumi argued. "We want the prime minister to give an explanation and apology after he returns home."

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]