The Lower House of Japan’s Diet has rejected a no-confidence motion against the Cabinet of Kishida Fumio which was submitted over the issue of political reform.
The chamber voted down the motion by a majority vote on Thursday afternoon.
The vote was proposed by the largest opposition Constitutional Democratic Party, which criticized Kishida’s political reform effort as not being enough.
The party said Kishida should not be allowed to hold the helm of state. It called for the immediate resignation of his Cabinet, or a dissolution of the Lower House for a snap election.
The chamber’s plenary session discussed the motion from 2 p.m.
The CDP president, Izumi Kenta, argued that it has not been made clear how some factions of the main ruling Liberal Democratic Party began to amass unreported funds and what the money was used for.
Izumi said the revised political funds control law approved by the Diet failed to make drastic reforms. He said the LDP-proposed revisions were no more than performances.
Izumi urged for a dissolution of the chamber to clear what he called a negative legacy and seek the people’s judgment.
Former Reconstruction Minister Nishime Kosaburo of the LDP argued back.
Nishime said the LDP, as a responsible party, introduced a bill that ensures both the freedom of political activities and transparency of political funding, and had it enacted after revising it by listening to the proposals of other parties.
He said the LDP’s legislation was worlds apart from bills of opposition parties that just called for a ban and abolition. He said those parties “are irresponsible for the future.”
In the voting that followed, the LDP, its junior coalition partner Komeito and some others opposed the motion.
The CDP, the Japan Innovation Party, the Japanese Communist Party and the Democratic Party for the People voted in favor.
Reiwa Shinsengumi abstained from the vote.