During a debate in the Lower House last week, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and Mr. Sadakazu Tanigaki, chief of the opposition Liberal Democratic Party, appeared to have reached agreements on several issues. The ruling and opposition parties should use that momentum to break the current political stagnation, especially the slowness in reconstruction from the 3/11 disasters.
At the outset of his questioning, Mr. Tanigaki pointed out the slowness in disposal of debris and in reconstruction of roads and ports. Mr. Noda replied that he will increase the speed of reconstruction, with the Reconstruction Agency playing a central role.
Both Mr. Noda and Mr. Tanigaki agreed on the importance of quickly carrying out a reapportionment of the Lower House seats. Last March, the Supreme Court ruled that the August 2009 Lower House election was held in an unconstitutional state because of a large disparity in the value of one vote between depopulated rural areas and populated urban areas.