Aug 17, 2020 (Japan Today) - Calls for the government to shift Diet sessions online and allow for remote attendance have increased as Japan endures a protracted battle against the coronavirus, but implicit restraints within the Constitution have hindered progress so far.
Young lawmakers from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and other political parties have advocated for parliamentary sessions to be held remotely since Japan declared a nationwide state of emergency in April, following the precedent set by countries like Britain, South Africa and Latvia.
Hayato Suzuki, an LDP member in the House of Representatives, has suggested holding a "hybrid Diet" session, in which watching a live stream and participating online would be sufficient for a member to be considered in attendance.
"If the Diet doesn't change on its own, it runs the risk of no longer being able to function," warned Suzuki, who argues that current times differ greatly to when the Constitution took effect in 1947.
Britain upended 700 years of history in April when the coronavirus outbreak forced policymakers to hold their first "hybrid parliament" session, where 120 members of Parliament joined the debating chamber via Zoom video conferencing software.
According to a parliamentary statement, committees within the parliament of South Africa have also been meeting remotely since April, and the country on May 15 marked the 100th virtual meeting of its oversight committees.
Latvia, one of Europe's three Baltic states, went a step further and developed a specialized tool to enable its parliament to operate fully online. On May 26, the country used its tailor-made "e-Saeima" platform to successfully hold its first remote plenary sitting.
However, in Japan such proposals have hit a wall as Article 56 of the Constitution dictates that at least one-third of members from both houses must attend plenary sessions. Currently, all 465 members of the lower house and 245 members of the upper house are physically present when voting.
