This article discusses the need for constitutional debate, including emergency provisions, as the spread of the new coronavirus threatens to paralyze the Diet. It criticizes opposition parties such as the Constitutional Democratic Party for refusing to convene Constitutional Review Commissions, despite 1.62 billion yen having already been spent on secretariat personnel costs alone, and questions the responsibility of Diet members.

April 11, 2020
Because the review commissions are rarely opened, 1.62 billion yen has so far been spent on personnel costs alone for the secretariats of both Houses, whose staff have not been given opportunities to work.
The following is from today’s Sankei Sho.
The spread of the new coronavirus could even paralyze the functions of the Diet, which is the highest organ of state power and the legislative organ.
Article 56 of the Constitution stipulates that “business cannot be transacted and decisions cannot be made unless one-third or more of the total membership is present.”
If infected persons or close contacts spread among Diet members, the Diet will stop in an instant.
Perhaps he finally felt a sense of crisis.
On the 9th, Kazuo Kitagawa, chairman of Komeito’s constitutional research council, who until now had appeared passive toward debate on constitutional revision, clearly stated the following.
“We do not know how the spread of infectious disease will develop. It is very important to discuss constitutional provisions concerning emergencies.”
However, many opposition parties, including the Constitutional Democratic Party, evade the issue with wordplay such as “we will not say it is unnecessary, but it is not urgent,” and refuse to agree to the convening of the Constitutional Review Commissions.
“When the situation truly becomes serious, it will no longer be possible even to debate it.”
This is despite the fact that a ruling-party director of the Constitutional Review Commission has said this.
Osamu Nishi, professor emeritus of Komazawa University and a scholar of comparative constitutional law, laments in his new book Let Us Correctly Understand Article 9 of the Constitution that the budget spent on the Constitutional Review Commissions established in both Houses has not been utilized at all.
Because the review commissions are rarely opened, 1.62 billion yen has so far been spent on personnel costs alone for the secretariats of both Houses, whose staff have not been given opportunities to work.
The following question by Nobuyuki Baba, secretary-general of Nippon Ishin no Kai, at the House of Representatives Budget Committee in January of this year is also introduced.
“They do not debate at all. They do not work, yet they only go on overseas inspections. Spending as much as two million yen per person. From my point of view, this is a pleasure trip.”
Even if they conduct inspections, they do not deliberate, so there is no way for the results to be reflected.
The opposition parties have pursued Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, saying it was outrageous that 50 million yen was spent on the cherry-blossom-viewing party hosted by him.
Yet they are calmly doing something like throwing a far larger amount of taxpayers’ money into the gutter.