TOKYO: With the parliamentary session coming to a close after a failed no-confidence vote against his cabinet, Japan Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga will now focus on hosting a successful Olympics, with an eye toward dissolving the lower house in early September. The motion, submitted by four opposition parties, was voted down Tuesday by the ruling coalition as expected.
The motion was filed after the ruling coalition turned down the opposition camp's request for pushing back the end of the current parliamentary session by three months to allow for more debate on matters related to Covid-19 and the Tokyo Olympics, according to reports.
The request for the extension came as the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ) and three other opposition parties have been critical of the government's response to the pandemic, particularly the slow pace of the vaccination campaign.
The parties believed more time is needed in the parliament to debate these highly pressing topics. CDPJ leader Yukio Edano has accused Suga as being an unfit leader for not allowing the current parliament session to be extended during a national crisis.
The opposition camp also include the three other parties jointly filing the motion, namely the Japanese Communist Party, the Democratic Party for the People and the Social Democratic Party.
The opposition parties are also concerned that the capital Tokyo is currently under a third Covid-19 state of emergency, along with nine other prefectures, due to the spread of the virus and its highly contagious variants, as the entire nation continues to grapple with a fourth wave of infections.
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