TOKYO, June 5 (Xinhua) -- Japan's ruling and opposition parties on Wednesday jointly submitted a draft resolution to parliament stating that a lawmaker who made remarks about waging war with Russia over disputed islands should decide quickly whether to resign.
The resolution follows Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its junior coalition ally Komeito on May 21 submitting a draft resolution to parliament admonishing lawmaker Hodaka Maruyama for the controversial remark he made about Japan using war to regain control over islands central to a territorial spat with Russia.
The latest resolution is expected to be adopted by parliament's lower chamber on Thursday, with parties from both camps seeking its unanimous approval.
As the resolution is not legally binding, the onus of responsibility will be on Maruyama himself to decide whether to step down as a lower house member for his gaffe that has led to ruling and opposition parties accusing him of lacking the qualities required to be a lawmaker.
The controversy surrounding 35-year-old Maruyama, stems from him joining a group of former residents of Kunashiri Island off Hokkaido from May 10 through 13 under a Japan-Russia visa-free exchange program.
According to the head of the group of former residents, Maruyama asked him while drunk, "Do you think there is any alternative to war to recover the islands?"
The head of the group dismissed the remark, and Maruyama subsequently retracted the comments amid stern condemnation from Russia and calls from opposition parties for him to step down as his remarks ran contrary to Japan's pacifist Constitution.
The Japan Innovation Party committee in Osaka unanimously decided to expel Maruyama, with the committee saying that Maruyama's remarks had led to public mistrust.
Japan's top government spokesperson, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, slammed Maruyama's remarks as being "extremely regrettable," adding that Tokyo remained committed to resolving the territorial dispute with Moscow through diplomatic means.
The islands at the center of the dispute between Tokyo and Moscow are known as the Northern Territories in Japan and the Southern Kurils in Russia.
The decades-old territorial spat has prevented the two countries from signing a post-World War II peace treaty and hindered diplomatic and trade relations between the two countries.
Despite widespread condemnation from both Tokyo and Moscow, however, Maruyama, elected three times from a constituency in Osaka Prefecture, has refused to resign as a lower house lawmaker.
"I will definitely not resign even if the motion is passed," Maruyama told a press briefing on the matter, with reference to the opposition parties' initial resolution urging him to do so.
