S/ Kishi Makiko, Constitutional Democratic Party lawmaker / I cannot help but say that the ruling Liberal Democratic Party just went along with its coalition partner, the Japan Innovation Party, which is attempting to achieve the Osaka metropolis plan for the third time by simply rebranding it as a second capital plan for the party’s self-interest.

The second capital law was enacted on the night of July 24 after the bill passed the upper house with support from the ruling bloc and some opposition parties.

The opposition sought to include in the supplementary resolution a provision prohibiting holding a local referendum on the second capital and a regular election on the same day, and the ruling parties accepted the demand.

But just after the law’s enactment, Japan Innovation Party leader Yoshimura Hirofumi made remarks that appeared to challenge the provision.

S/ Yoshimura Hirofumi, Japan Innovation Party leader / Considering that voters can cast their ballots in a single trip and that costs can be reduced, I believe we should aim to hold the votes on the same day.

As deliberations on the second capital bill dragged late into the night, an intensive session of the House of Representatives Budget Committee attended by Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae was postponed until July 27.

S/ Tamaki Yuichiro, Democratic Party for the People leader / Before we can even talk about the conventional confrontation between ruling and opposition parties, communication and coordination within the government and ruling coalition were extremely poor.

During the special Diet session, the ruling bloc succeeded in passing key legislation, including amendments to the Imperial House Law and a law creating the offense of flag desecration, but issues remained regarding parliamentary management.