罰則軽減・国会報告導入検討　政府・与党、野党と２６日修正協議―コロナ特措法など

　自民党の森山裕、立憲民主党の安住淳両国対委員長は２５日、国会内で会談し、政府が今国会に提出した新型コロナウイルス対策の特別措置法や感染症法の改正案について、２６日から修正協議に入ることで合意した。政府・与党は早期成立に向け、野党の要求を一定程度受け入れる構え。罰則の軽減や国会報告の導入などを検討しており、週内にも決着させたい考えだ。
　協議は２６、２７両日、衆院の内閣、厚生労働両委員会の与野党筆頭理事間で行う。折り合わなければ、幹事長間などへの格上げを検討。これに関し、菅義偉首相は２５日の衆院予算委員会で「党首会談も全くやぶさかではない」と述べた。（2021/01/25-19:14）

Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan on Monday agreed to hold talks on whether to make changes to a special coronavirus law amendment and bills to revise two other laws.
   Possible changes to the bills will be negotiated on Tuesday and Wednesday by the two parties' chief executives on the Cabinet Committee of the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the Diet, Japan's parliament, and the Committee on Health, Labor and Welfare of the Lower House.
   At a Lower House Budget Committee meeting on Monday, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, also president of the LDP, said he is willing to have talks with his counterpart from the CDP on whether to make revisions to the bills.
   At a cabinet meeting Friday, the Japanese government adopted the set of bills, aimed at making coronavirus countermeasures enforceable, partly by the introduction of criminal penalties for noncompliant individuals and businesses. For example, the proposed bill to revise the infectious diseases law calls for prison terms of up to one year or fines of up to 1 million yen for COVID-19 patients who refuse to be hospitalized.
   Opposition parties claim that the proposed punishments are too harsh.