Japanese → English transcript

During yesterday’s session of this committee, in the middle of my questioning,

there was an unparliamentary

remark from the ruling party seats calling me“ a Communist Party spy.”

Calling committee members or parties with different views or policies spies is

absolutely intolerable.

Before the war, when others were joining the Imperial Rule Assistance Association,

the Japanese Communist Party alone was the party that risked their lives to

consistently oppose the war of aggression.

Under the Peace Preservation Law, citizens, scholars, religious figures,

and those who opposed the war of aggression, the then- current regime,

and the national polity,

or were merely suspected of doing so, as well as the Japanese Communist Party,

were branded as spies by the Special Higher Police and others, arrested, tortured,

and even had their lives taken.

Chair, given that this Diet and this committee were established under the Peace

Constitution,

I do not believe we should overlook such unparliamentary remarks.

I would like to demand an apology

and retraction from the person who made the remark.

I would like you to temporarily suspend this committee

right now and demand an apology. What do you say?

We will verify the audio and then decide in the Board of Directors’ meeting.

Please stop the clock, Chair. Chair, stop the clock. Pause the time for a moment.

This is different from what we agreed at today’s Board of Directors’ meeting.

Then please stop the stenographic record. Please stop the stenographic record.

Please resume the stenographic record.

We will discuss this in the Board of Directors’ meeting. All right.

Then today, Takai…