Obscure party rulings

I admit it's been quite a while since I've posted anything here but I've been otherwise occupied with duties.  That said, enjoy, if you can, today's article on some politicians in a kerfuffle over a moderately big deal. There are some seeming discrepancies in the article that I'm not sure if I'm just misunderstanding something or the article was just written incorrectly but maybe you'll see what I mean.

鳩山氏は資格停止３カ 月＝小沢氏らの除籍決 定―民主

民主党は９日午後、国会内で臨時の常任幹事 会を開き、消費増税関連法案の衆院採決で反対 し、新党を結成するため離党届を提出した小沢 一郎元代表ら３７人を除籍（除名）とすること を正式決定した。一方、反対したが党にとどま り、執行部から党員資格停止６カ月の処分方針 が下っていた鳩山由紀夫元首相については、倫 理委員会（委員長・北沢俊美元防衛相）の答申 を踏まえ、停止期間を３カ月に短縮した。

常任幹事会に先立つ倫理委では、小沢氏らの 除籍を「妥当」と判断。鳩山氏と同じく採決で 反対したが、離党届を出していない１７人につ いては、党員資格停止２カ月とした執行部の処 分方針を「妥当」と結論付けたが、鳩山氏に関 しては「同一行為に対し処分の量定に大きな差 があることはバランスを欠く」と再考を促す答 申をまとめた。

倫理委が執行部の処分方針の見直しを求めた のは異例。鳩山氏や周辺議員から処分内容に不 満の声が上がっており、野党が野田内閣不信任 決議案を提出した場合、鳩山氏らが同調する可 能性が取り沙汰されていたことにも配慮し、緩 和したとみられる。

http://jp.wsj.com/Japan/Politics/node_474847

Hatoyama’s party membership suspended for 3 months and Ozawa’s group removed from party rolls – DPJ

The DPJ held an extraordinary meeting of party leadership on the afternoon of the 9 th and formally removed Ichiro Ozawa and his bloc of 37 members from the party rolls after the group opposed the enactment in the lower house of the consolidated consumption tax increase bill and submitted their party resignation with the aim of establishing a new one. On the other hand, former prime minister Yukio Hatoyama, who received a 6 month suspension of party membership judgment from the party enforcement division after his opposition, had his suspension reduced by 3 months at the request of the Ethics committee (chaired by Toshimi Kitazawa, a former defense minister).

The Ethics committee did judge Ozawa’s expulsion by the party leadership committee appropriate. Hatoyama also opposed the bill’s enactment, but his group of 17 did not submit letters of resignation, so the Ethics committee deemed the enforcement division’s judgment of 2 month suspension of party membership appropriate. That said, regarding Hatoyama himself, the ethis committee requested a reconsideration of their judgment, noting “The scale of the assessed penalty for his same action lacks balance.”

It is quite the exception that the Ethics committee would request a review of an enforcement division ruling. Hatoyama and his group have expressed dissatisfaction with the ruling and in the event that the opposition parties propose a no confidence vote on Prime Minister Noda, it seems that the committee considered the rumors of possible willingness by Hatoyama to support such a vote and relaxed the punishment.