A controversial bill to overhaul immigration rules and curb the long-term detention of asylum-seekers passed a key Upper House committee on Thursday — despite a boisterous opposition that nearly descended into chaos — paving the way for its approval during the plenary session on Friday.
Lawmakers of the ruling coalition led by the Liberal Democratic Party voted in favor of the bill, as well as two opposition parties, the Democratic Party for the People and Nippon Ishin no Kai.
The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP) and the Japanese Communist Party (JCP) opposed the bill, on the grounds that it fails to protect the rights of asylum-seekers and doesn't improve the current treatment of detainees in immigration facilities.