Japan's LDP Proposes Revision to National Referendum Law

Tokyo, June 4 (Jiji Press)--Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Thursday proposed a revision to the law on national referendums for amending the country's Constitution.

At a meeting of the Commission on the Constitution of the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the Diet, or parliament, Yoshitaka Shindo of the LDP specifically sought to ease the requirements for appointing referendum monitors.

Aiming to realize the revision of the law during the current Diet session, which is slated to end in mid-July, Shindo called for discussions on the matter at the commission's next meeting.

The proposed law revision is designed to align the requirements for the appointment of referendum monitors with those for public office elections.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, head of the LDP, in April expressed her intention to pave the way within a year for the Diet's submission of a constitutional revision proposal, and the party's move to amend the referendum law is apparently aimed at assisting the move.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]