Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda has survived a no-confidence motion against his Cabinet over his proposal to raise the consumption tax.
Six small Opposition parties, including one led by Ichiro Ozawa, who left the ruling Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) last month, had submitted on Tuesday a no-confidence motion against Noda's Cabinet to the Lower House of the Diet (Parliament).
The motion was rejected by a majority of MPs who voted, mostly from DPJ and its coalition partner the People's New Party, after the House of Representatives debated the motion at a plenary session on Thursday.
The main opposition Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its ally the New Komeito party, which agreed with Noda on cooperating to quickly pass the tax hike bill in line with a previous 3-party agreement, abstained from the vote.
Your Party leader Yoshimi Watanabe said most of the Japanese people were opposed to hiking the consumption tax, and the Noda Cabinet's attempts to push it through the Diet violated DPJ's own 2009 election pledge. He took Noda to task for continuing to turn his back on the public.
The LDP and the New Komeito agreed with DPJ in June to support the social security and tax reform bills.
by RTT Staff Writer
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