Several Japanese media outlets and individuals have recently criticized Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga for attending parliamentary hearings and responding to questions, questioning her attitude towards parliament.
Xinhua News Agency quoted the Japanese 'Mainichi Newspaper' as stating that as of July 6, Koike Yukiho attended 8 hearings during this session of the parliament, accumulating a total of 29 hours and 36 minutes. This is only about 40% of the average attendance time during the past five years, compared to that of former Prime Ministers Suga Yastinee, Kishida Yoshihide, and Ishihara Toshihiro.
Additionally, according to an agreement reached by Japan's political parties in 2025, party leader meetings should be held once a month during the regular parliamentary session from April to June. However, Kaiori Takahashi attended only one such meeting this May.
In the opposition party's statements at the parliament on June 6th, they pointed out that legislative progress in the current Parliament has significantly slowed: during the three regular sessions of Parliament from 2023 to 2025, the government had submitted bills with an approval rate of nearly 98%; however, as the session drew near its conclusion, the bill approval rate was only 73%.
On the 7th, Yamaeda Takashi, the head of Japan's Communist Party policy committee, posted a statement on social media, criticizing Kashi for indirectly 'refusing to be reviewed by parliament'. Even when present in parliament, Kashi often avoided directly answering members' questions, repeatedly showing an dishonest attitude in responding.
Tokyo University Graduate School of Education professor Yuki Honda said that Takashi Takashima's mechanical excuse was used to cope with the defense, leading to a standstill in parliamentary deliberation. She criticized Takashima, the ruling party, and their supporters for lacking the necessary reflection and sense of responsibility.
According to a report by the Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun, during this parliamentary session, the Koshi government took advantage of its majority in the House of Representatives to shorten the time for deliberating the budget bill. Despite the opposition from the opposition parties, several bills were pushed through forcibly, leading to an escalating political confrontation between the ruling party and the opposition.
Coverage quoted a former Liberal Democratic Party member's statement: "This is my first time seeing such a terrible Parliament."
"Asia Business Daily" in April noted that, compared to former minister Shi Bomao, Gao Shichang attended fewer hearings during the Parliamentary budget review for fiscal year 2026. There was a reduction of about 40% in such appearances. Some analyses suggest this reduced government's exposure to critical questioning and shifted her communication towards a more one-sided approach through social media instead of directly responding to criticism.
