Four opposition-proposed bills to secure employment were voted down Wednesday in the House of Representatives by a ruling coalition majority vote.
In response, the Democratic Party of Japan, the leading opposition force, submitted a resolution to dissolve the Diet for a general election that, although rejected, drew the vote of Liberal Democratic Party reformist Yoshimi Watanabe.
Before the lower chamber assembled, the bills were voted down by the Lower House Committee on Health, Labor and Welfare by a majority of the LDP-New Komeito ruling coalition.
As the Diet prepares to close for the year Thursday, the ruling and opposition camps are continuing to scrap to show the public their resolve in addressing the deteriorating job situation.
The bills proposed by the DPJ, the Social Democratic Party and Kokumin Shinto (People's New Party) cleared the opposition-controlled House of Councilors on Friday, when LDP lawmakers walked out of the session.
The four bills included measures to prevent employers from rescinding job offers made to new graduates, to offer subsidies to employers to maintain employment, to support the livelihood of the unemployed and to restrict employers from dismissing temporary workers before their contracts expire.
