Japan’s Prime Minister Would Consider Dissolving Lower House if No-Confidence Motion Passes

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:50 JST, December 28, 2024

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has said that he will consider dissolving the House of Representatives as a basic measure if a no-confidence vote against his Cabinet is passed, during an interview with the Yomiuri Shimbun at the Prime Minister’s Office on Friday.

Ishiba also said that a bill to introduce “active cyber defense” to prevent serious cyberattacks will be submitted to the ordinary Diet session next year.

Regarding how to respond if a no-confidence vote is passed, Ishiba stated that “it is extremely important to seek the judgment of the people when the will of the lower house and that of the Cabinet differ.”

Article 69 of the Constitution stipulates that if the lower house passes a no-confidence resolution, the Cabinet “shall resign en masse, unless the House of Representatives is dissolved within 10 days.” As the ruling parties are currently in the minority, a motion of no-confidence can pass if opposition parties unite.

No-confidence motions have passed four times, twice under the Cabinet led by Shigeru Yoshida and once each under the Cabinets led by Masayoshi Ohira, and Kiichi Miyazawa. In all cases, the lower house was dissolved.

Referring to the motions passed under the Ohira and Miyazawa Cabinets, Ishiba emphasized, “The tenor of the Constitution, which is to seek the judgment of the people with sovereign power, must be respected to the greatest possible extent.”

The ordinary Diet session, which will convene on Jan. 24, will close on June 22 unless the session is extended. If the opposition parties, including the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, submit a no-confidence motion at the end of the session and the vote is passed, the lower house election will likely be held on July 20, the same day as that of the House of Councillors. The timing of the submission, along with how opposition parties would support a motion, are likely be a focal point.

Regarding a bill related to introducing active cyber defense that the government has been rushing to legislate, Ishiba said that he would submit it during the ordinary Diet session and “aim for its early passage.”

Regarding the argument on the introduction of a selective separate surname system for married couples, opinions of which are divided within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, Ishiba said, “I would not set a deadline [to reach a conclusion] but I also do not think it is a good idea to drag it out indefinitely.”

In a speech he made in Tokyo on Friday, Ishiba said that a decision to dissolve the lower house “is possible in cases such as if the budget bill is rejected or if an extremely important bill is voted down.”