国会空転、与野党物別れ＝憲法審取りやめ－河井法相辞任

　妻の陣営の公職選挙法違反疑惑が報じられた河井克行氏の法相辞任を受け、国会は３１日、空転した。立憲民主党など野党側は、主要閣僚の相次ぐ交代に「内閣総辞職に値する異常事態」と反発し、衆参両院予算委員会の集中審議を来週中に開催するよう要求。与野党の国対委員長が断続的に協議したが、平行線に終わった。１１月１日午前に再協議する。
　３１日は衆院の本会議と憲法審査会、参院の全委員会が取りやめとなった。本会議は河井氏が出席し、会社法改正案の審議が行われる予定だった。憲法審では約２年ぶりの自由討議が行われるはずだった。
　自民、立憲、国民民主の３党国対委員長は３１日、国会内で５回にわたり会談。立憲の安住淳氏は、安倍晋三首相が集中審議で説明責任を果たすことが国会正常化の前提条件だと主張した。自民の森山裕氏は１１、１２両日に応じるのと引き換えに１日からの審議正常化を求めたが、野党側は反対。森山氏は「６、８日」開催案も打診したが、野党側は１日の審議復帰を拒み、物別れとなった。（2019/10/31-19:50）

The Diet, Japan's parliament, stalled on Thursday following the resignation of Katsuyuki Kawai as justice minister the same day over an alleged election law violation during his wife's House of Councillors election campaign in July.
   Saying that the departures of two ministers in only a month and a half after the Sept. 11 cabinet reshuffle has created a situation equivalent to a resignation of the cabinet, the opposition parties, including the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and the Democratic Party for the People, demanded that the budget committees of both the Upper House and the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the Diet, be convened next week for intensive talks on the scandals.
   Before Kawai, Isshu Sugawara resigned as minister of economy, trade and industry only last week over a money and gift scandal.
   The heads of Diet affairs from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, the CDPJ and the DPFP met on and off on Thursday, but they remained apart. Talks will he held again on Friday morning.
   A Lower House plenary meeting, a meeting of the chamber's Commission on the Constitution and all Upper House committee meetings scheduled for Thursday were canceled. Kawai had been slated to attend the Lower House plenary meeting, planned for debates on an amendment to the companies law. At the constitution commission meeting, open talks had been slated to take place for the first time in about two years.