ガーシー氏処分、参院委が審査開始　次回２１日に弁明機会

　参院懲罰委員会は１０日、初当選以来国会欠席を続けるＮＨＫ党のガーシー（東谷義和）議員の処分について審査を開始した。処分が必要と判断した場合、除名から戒告まで４段階の懲罰から具体的な対応を決める。
　懲罰委には尾辻秀久参院議長が出席し、この問題を付託した理由を説明した。与野党は次回の委員会を２１日に開き、石井準一参院議院運営委員長にも経緯の説明を求め、ガーシー氏本人か代理人による弁明機会を設けることで合意した。
　この後、懲罰委の鈴木宗男委員長（維新）がＮＨＫ党の浜田聡参院議員らと会い、１６日を期限に弁明希望の有無を回答するよう要請。同党の立花孝志党首は１０日の記者会見で、浜田氏が代理で出席すると明らかにした。
　ＮＨＫ党はオンラインによる本人の弁明を希望してきたが、懲罰委は国会法にオンライン出席の規定がないことを理由に認めない考え。（2023/02/10-16:07）

The discipline committee of the House of Councillors on Friday began discussing whether to impose penalties on YouTuber lawmaker GaaSyy for his continued absence from the Diet, Japan's parliament.
   At the day's meeting of the discipline panel, Upper House President Hidehisa Otsuji explained the reasons for referring GaaSyy, a member of the chamber, to the committee. On Jan. 30, Otsuji issued a letter asking him to appear at the ongoing regular Diet session.
   GaaSyy, from the NHK Party, a single-issue party critical of NHK, the public broadcaster officially called Japan Broadcasting Corp., has not attended even a single Diet meeting since he won a parliamentary seat for the first time in the July 2022 Upper House election. He is currently staying in the United Arab Emirates.
   The ruling and opposition parties agreed to hold the next meeting of the committee over GaaSyy on Feb. 21, where Upper House steering committee head Junichi Ishii will be asked to speak about details of the situation and GaaSyy himself or his representative will be requested to appear to give explanations.
   GaaSyy has requested that he be allowed to speak online, but the executive board of the discipline committee has affirmed a policy of not allowing this as Diet law has no provision for online attendance.