閉会中審査、１９日再開　自民、安倍首相出席に難色

　自民党の森山裕、立憲民主党の安住淳両国対委員長は５日、国会内で会談し、新型コロナウイルス対策について議論する閉会中審査を１９日から再開することで合意した。安住氏は安倍晋三首相が出席し、予算委員会の集中審議を行うよう求めたが、森山氏は「引き続き協議する」と述べるにとどめた。
　森山、安住両氏は１９日に衆院厚生労働委、２６日に衆院内閣委を開くことを確認。参院はそれぞれ翌日に開催する。衆参予算委も９月２、３両日を軸に調整している。安住氏はこのほか、財務金融や総務、農林水産各委での閉会中審査を求めており、与党側は応じる方向だ。（2020/08/05-17:50）

Senior officials of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the biggest opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan agreed Wednesday to restart off-session debates over the novel coronavirus epidemic at the Diet, the country's parliament, on Aug. 19.
   Hiroshi Moriyama, the LDP's Diet affairs chief and his CDPJ counterpart, Jun Azumi, reached the accord at their meeting on Wednesday. This year's ordinary session of the Diet ended in June.
   Azumi demanded that intensive budget committee debates attended by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe be held. But Moriyama was cautious, saying only that more talks on the request will be held.
   Moriyama and Azumi agreed that a meeting of the House of Representatives Committee on Health, Labor and Welfare will be held on Aug. 19 and a meeting of the Lower House Committee on Cabinet on Aug. 26. Meetings of the corresponding committees of the House of Councillors, the upper chamber, will take place on Aug. 20 and Aug. 27, respectively. The budget committees of both houses may be held on Sept. 2-3.
   Azumi also called for meetings of the financial affairs, internal affairs, and agriculture, forestry and fisheries committees. The ruling bloc is expected to accept the request.