与党、会期延長を拒否　野党「疑惑にふた」

　自民、立憲民主両党など与野党の国対委員長は３日、国会内で会談した。野党側は新型コロナウイルス感染症対策に万全を期すため５日までの今国会会期を年末まで延長するよう要求。自民党の森山裕国対委員長は２０２０年度第３次補正予算案の編成作業に支障を来すことなどを理由に拒否した。
　会談で立憲の安住淳国対委員長は自民党の吉川貴盛元農林水産相が鶏卵業者から金銭を受け取った疑いに触れ、「疑惑にふたをするため無理やり会期を閉じることになりかねない」と強調。「桜を見る会」前夜祭問題に絡み、安倍晋三前首相の国会招致を改めて主張した。
　立憲、共産両党などは４日に会期延長動議を衆院に提出するが、与党側は否決する方針。ただ、与野党国対委員長会談では新型コロナに関して閉会中審査を行うことでは合意した。（2020/12/03-11:49）

Japan's ruling bloc on Thursday rejected an opposition demand that the current extraordinary session of the Diet, the country's parliament, be extended until year-end to secure enough time for debates on measures against the novel coronavirus.
   Hiroshi Moriyama, Diet affairs chief of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, expressed the rejection at a meeting with his counterparts from opposition parties, including Jun Azumi of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan.
   As a reason, Moriyama said that an extension of the Diet session would put constraints on work to compile a third supplementary state budget for fiscal 2020. The current Diet session is set to end on Saturday.
   Azumi said that the ruling camp may be attempting to close the session to cover up former agriculture minister Takamori Yoshikawa's money scandal. Yoshikawa, an LDP member, is suspected of receiving millions of yen from a former head of an egg production firm while he was in the ministerial post.
   Azumi also demanded that former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe testify in the Diet over controversial dinner parties held on the eve of state-funded annual cherry blossom-viewing parties he hosted.