Japan to extend Parliament, may delay election

JAPAN: Japan’s ruling party plans to extendthe parliamentary session, possibly delaying key elections, as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe struggles in the polls, reports said Monday.

Abe has agreed with heavyweights in his ruling Liberal Democratic Party to extend the current session of parliament, originally set to finish at the end of this week, Nippon Television reported.

If the session is prolonged by just a few days, the elections for the upper house will remain as originally planned on July 22. But if the session is extended by 12 days, the vote would be pushed back to July 29, the network said.

Reports said Abe wants extra time to push through reforms designed to prevent retired government officials from seeking jobs at industries they once oversaw, a common practice in Japan, blamed for corruption.

The failure to enact the legislation would deal a further blow to the Abe government, whose popularity has plunged amid a series of scandals and serious mismanagement of the public pension system.

Some members of the Liberal Democratic Party, however, believe the extension should be five days, or one working week, to keep the original election schedule, the network said.

The government and senior ruling party officials, however, are leaning towards a 12-day extension, the network and major newspapers said.

A defeat in the election would not automatically oust Abe, whose coalition enjoys a strong majority in the lower house, but would likely lead to calls for him to quit.

Abe announced his political priorities as drafting a new constitution, reforming the public education system and “assertive” diplomacy.

Tokyo, Monday, AFP