Top �� What's up around the Prime Minister �� August, 2002

Twelfth Meeting of the Advisory Council to Consider the Direct Election of the Prime Minister Wednesday, August 7, 2002 The twelfth meeting of the Advisory Council to Consider the Direct Election of the Prime Minister was held at the Prime Minister's Official Residence. At the meeting, Chairman Takeshi Sasaki handed Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi a report that compiled the results of investigations by the Advisory Council since its establishment in July of last year. As modalities of the direct election for the Prime Minister, the report includes two proposals premised on amendments to the Constitution: the "Presidential type" in which the public votes directly for the Prime Minister and the "Parliamentary Cabinet type" in which the election for the House of Representatives effectively serves as the election for the Prime Minister. The report also contains a proposal for a "reform within the framework of the current Constitution." Upon receiving the report, Prime Minister Koizumi stated, "I sincerely hope this will be an opportunity to open up broad and active discussion, beginning in the National Diet and in all sectors of our society, on the modalities of the relationship between the Prime Minister and the people as well as the structure and modality of politics in Japan."