Four Japanese opposition parties yesterday submitted a motion of no-confidence against the government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe over a series of staged public hearings, a move seen as a tactic to delay an education bill intended to boost patriotism in classrooms.
The move forced the ruling party to agree with opposition to extend the parliamentary session, initially scheduled to end yesterday, for another four days, to further discuss the bill.
The Democratic Party of Japan and three other parties also introduced a no-confidence motion at the lower house against Foreign Minister Taro Aso over recent remarks that Japan should debate acquiring nuclear weapons, according to the DPJ Web site.
Abe has come under fire after a commission found the government staged a series of public meetings on educational reform, with officials posing as ordinary citizens lobbing softball questions.
After the scandal broke on Wednesday, Abe and several top minister were forced to forfeit months of pay in penance, a painful blow to a new government that was already sliding in the popularity polls.
The no-confidence motion, which is expected to fail because Abe's ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its smaller coalition partner New Komeito dominate both houses of parliament, is seen as a tactic being used to delay a vote on the education bill.
Aso, meanwhile, has enraged the opposition and even those within the LDP by suggesting Japan should discuss developing a nuclear arsenal as a deterrent against a nuclear North Korea.
Meanwhile yesterday a full-fledged defense ministry was created in Japan for the first time since World War II, when the US stripped the defeated country of its right to a military.
The upper house voted to create the defense agency. The lower house had earlier passed the bill, meaning it becomes law, a parliamentary official said.
The reform would give Defense Agency Director General Fumio Kyuma the title of defense minister, although Japanese troops would still be called the "Self-Defense Forces."
Previous attempts to create a defense ministry stalled over political sensitivities in light of Japan's past aggression and fears of upsetting neighboring countries.
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