The citizens’ group “init (Public Initiative Project),” which is calling for the introduction of a “public initiative” system that would allow laws to be enacted if a certain number of signatures are collected, will be holding mock referendums online from December 8th on the issue of optional separate surnames for married couples and the death penalty. A bipartisan parliamentary group will also be launched soon. Will this deepen discussion on important topics that have not been debated in the Diet and increase interest in politics? (Miyahata Yuzuru) ◆Based on the Local Autonomy Act, ordinances can be requested if signatures are collected. “There must be many people who are disappointed that reality doesn’t change even if they raise their voices at demonstrations and rallies. If popular initiatives are institutionalized, the current situation in which everything is decided in the Diet will change. Citizens’ interest in politics will certainly increase, and their sense of sovereignty will also increase. “Japanese democracy will become even more fulfilling,” says Imai Hajime, a journalist and member of init. The basis for this is Article 74 of the Local Autonomy Act. It stipulates that if signatures from more than one-fiftieth of the voters are collected, a request can be made to the mayor to enact, amend or repeal a local ordinance. If the conditions are met, the mayor will submit the proposed ordinance to the assembly, and if it is passed, the ordinance will become law. Init’s envisions that if a certain number of signatures are collected regarding a bill that the public wants to pass, they will be able to request Diet deliberation, including whether or not to put it to a national referendum. If more signatures are collected, it is anticipated that a national referendum will be held without going through parliamentary deliberation. They are considering a non-legally binding “advisory referendum,” with the results of the vote being used as a reference for discussing bills in the Diet. This was done because a constitutional amendment would be necessary to hold a legally binding referendum. ◆ A mock referendum will be held for seven days starting December 8th to ask the public whether they agree to the referendum. The group’s name comes from the word “initiative,” which means “the right to take the initiative” or “the right to propose something.” It was established two years ago and has attracted around 1,000 supporters from the general public. A survey of supporters will be conducted on the initiative’s topic, and a mock referendum will be held over seven days starting from December 8th. In addition to optional separate surnames for married couples and the death penalty, the bill also questions the merits of paper insurance cards and invoices. The discussion will be held online on November 28th and 29th. The seminar is scheduled to be held a total of four times in the future, covering topics such as energy and security policy. They are currently raising funds through crowdfunding to cover the administration and running of the mock referendum. A bipartisan caucus supporting the group will also be launched soon. (Omitted) Tokyo Shimbun, November 25, 2024, 6:00 a.m.
>>1 The representatives of the people are Diet members. It’s disgusting how they are ignoring that and trying to push through the opinions of a small, vocal group.
I think this is a good idea, but there are 100 million people in the country, so if we’re talking about 1/50th of that, wouldn’t it make sense unless we gather about 2 million people? Personally, I support maintaining the death penalty and optional surnames, though.
There are sometimes leftists like this who shout things like, “This government is only supported by 20% of voters!” and lead large armies in their own minds.
If married couples are allowed to have different surnames, Japan would also be moving from family-based to individual-based, and the third-category pension insured person system would be abolished and people would have to pay for their own pensions and for some reason the lefties are vehemently opposed to this.
>>32 The only people who agree are mentally immature people who only think about themselves. The only people who agree because it doesn’t concern them are those who have given up thinking.
A government-created SNS linked to My Number is a must. Social networking sites that are not linked to the My Number system will no longer be able to be sued for slander.
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