The ruling Liberal Democratic Party is coordinating to postpone the enactment by the end of the ongoing parliamentary session of a bill to provide relief to civilians affected by air raids during World War II, informed sources said Thursday.
The bill, compiled by a suprapartisan group of lawmakers, including those from the LDP, calls for a lump-sum payment of ¥500,000 each to an estimated 3,200 affected civilians, as this year marks the 80th anniversary of the end of the war.
However, the LDP leadership is reluctant to enact the bill, in light of the principle that the state is not liable for paying compensation for war-related damage, the sources said. The principle was presented by the Supreme Court in a 1968 ruling.
At its meeting last month, the suprapartisan group approved the bill and agreed to aim for its enactment during the ordinary session of the Diet, which ends later this month.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, also president of the LDP, had previously indicated his positive stance on the bill, but he is now believed to be concerned that it could lead to other compensation-related issues.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.