Japan's Lower House OKs National Flag Vandalism Bill

Tokyo, June 30 (Jiji Press)--Japan's House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the Diet, the country's parliament, passed a bill to criminalize the act of damaging the national flag by a majority vote on Tuesday.

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner, the Japan Innovation Party, two of the four co-sponsors of the bill, voted in favor of the legislation.

No opposition parties, including the other co-sponsors of the bill, the Democratic Party for the People and Sanseito, participated in the vote, in protest against the ruling coalition's refusal to meet their demands related to Diet proceedings.

Rough going is expected in deliberations on the bill at the House of Councillors, the upper Diet chamber, where the ruling bloc falls short of a majority.

LDP member Takeshi Iwaya walked out of the Lower House meeting to abstain from the vote. "Respect for the national flag should not be enforced by punishment. I can't positively support (the bill)," the former foreign minister told reporters.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]