Diet Shelves Lifting Ban on Tablet Computers in Plenary Sessions
The Lower House of Japan's National Diet has decided to postpone its plans to lift the ban on the use of tablet computers in plenary sessions. This decision comes despite earlier efforts to accelerate the digitalization of parliamentary procedures.
The move was prompted by concerns raised by lawmakers from multiple parties during a meeting on April 4th. These concerns centered around the potential impact on the "authority" of proceedings if tablet PCs were used on a daily basis.
Previously, discussions had been underway to explore the use of tablet PCs and other paperless solutions in both plenary sessions and committee meetings. However, the April 4th meeting saw the sharing of opinions from former Lower House speakers and vice speakers, all of whom concluded that lifting the ban would be "difficult."
One of the concerns cited was the "issue concerning authority." Former Lower House speaker Bunmei Ibuki reportedly expressed the belief that politicians would face criticism if they engaged in online research during plenary sessions, arguing that they should "enter only after putting everything into their mind."
Takashi Endo, the Diet affairs panel chairman of Nippon Ishin (Japan Innovation Party), challenged this view, pointing out that tablet devices are already used in many Lower House committees. He questioned how their use could damage authority and expressed frustration with the apparent lack of progress.
However, Shunichi Yamaguchi, chairman of the Committee on Rules and Administration of the Lower House, countered that only a small number of politicians currently use tablet electronics. He emphasized the need for further discussion and verification before lifting the ban.
While the ban on tablet computers remains in place, the Lower House did approve two other measures related to digitalization. These include the paperless publication of committee reports and the online disclosure of details regarding lawmakers' visits outside of Japan.