The Diet has unanimously enacted a law that will financially help victims of natural disasters such as typhoons and earthquakes. This revision of a former similar law resulted from consultations between the Liberal Democratic Party-Komeito ruling coalition and the Democratic Party of Japan. As the first law that enacted during the current Diet session, it shows that the divided Diet can create a positive result if lawmakers strive for compromise.
The Lower House has also passed a government bill to continue the refueling mission of the Maritime Self-Defense Force in the Indian Ocean for naval ships taking part in United States-led antiterrorism operations in and around Afghanistan. The bill is now in the Upper House. However, unlike with the natural disaster victims assistance law, the basic stances of the ruling and opposition forces on the refueling bill are far apart.
The DPJ, the Japan Communist Party and the Social Democratic Party believe the refueling mission runs counter to the war-renouncing Constitution. By contrast, the government and the ruling coalition regard the refueling mission as constitutional, and think that if Japan permanently ceases the refueling mission it will be accused of having left the joint international efforts to fight terrorism and be isolated from the international community. Both blocs must make efforts to narrow their differences so that they will jointly come up with a constructive compromise that will be supported by the public, which appears divided over the bill as far as poll results are concerned. The responsibility of the DPJ, the largest party in the Upper House, is heavy. Still, there is room for compromise because the DPJ understands that Japan must contribute toward eliminating the root cause of terrorism.