Japan Parliament Extends Term; Reforms on Agenda

The Japanese Parliament voted Wednesday to extend its session by 45 days until Jan. 29, giving Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa breathing room to hang on to his job and fulfill his pledge of passing political reform.

Just minutes before the midnight deadline, the powerful lower house approved the extension, despite a boycott by all but four members of the opposition Liberal Democratic Party. Six Socialist members of the governing coalition and the Communists also opposed the extension.

Despite the reprieve, the outlook for the anti-corruption bills on which Hosokawa has staked his political future appears increasingly grim. Although the lower house passed them last month, a combined force of 10 Socialists, the Communists and most LDP members in the upper house could defeat them.

Most LDP members argue that the proposed legislation, which would redraw district boundaries and enact more stringent anti-corruption measures, would move too slowly toward formation of a two-party system. Most Communists and some Socialists argue that it would move too quickly and would hasten their demise as minority parties.

The LDP persistently moved to stall upper house debate on political reforms by dragging out discussions on a supplementary budget, Japan’s rice market, even the nature of Hosokawa’s relationship with starlet Yuko Asano, who is renting his Tokyo condominium.

In the extended session as well, political reform may take a back seat to an economic recovery package. With looming layoffs, plunging corporate earnings and the slowest growth in two decades, the public is clamoring for economic stimulus measures, such as tax cuts and more public works spending.

But there may be other reasons for extending the session besides political reform. Minoru Morita, a respected political commentator here, said several prominent Japanese politicians are reportedly near arrest in the long-running bribery investigation into the construction industry. But under Japanese law, politicians cannot be arrested while Parliament is in session.