Opposition Ousts Finance Committee Chair, Weakening Ruling Coalition

The chairman of the Lower House finance committee was ousted on Wednesday. This action followed a unified opposition front's support for a dismissal motion, a strategic move aimed at weakening the ruling coalition in the lead-up to the forthcoming Upper House election.

This marks an unprecedented event in the Lower House, as a motion against a committee head successfully passed for the first time. The vote, with a margin of 237 to 221, highlights the precarious position of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's minority government. Previously, similar motions had been approved in the Upper House.

Tatsunori Ibayashi, a member of the Liberal Democratic Party, was the subject of the dismissal motion. His removal stemmed from his refusal to allow deliberations on a bill concerning the abolition of the gasoline tax during the final stage of the parliamentary session. Yukihiko Akutsu, a lawmaker from the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, was subsequently elected to replace him in the Lower House, securing 238 votes. He is anticipated to initiate the debate on the gasoline tax bill in the near future.