Note:
(a)
(i) 茂木 敏充 MODEGI Toshimitsu
(ii) 枝野 幸男 EDA-NO Yuki-o (1964- ; 立憲民主党 代表, 弁護士)
Yuki as pronunciation of 幸 appears in Japanese names only. In other words, yuki is considered neither Chinese nor Japanese pronunciation of the kanji. In fact, yukio is also the given name of MISHIMA Yukio 三島 由紀夫.
In Japan, a political party designates its leader by its own choice. So 立憲民主党 chooses 代表 (there are several deputy heads 副代表 in that party), as does 公明党. Head of Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is 総裁.
The current Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP) 立憲民主党 was formed on Sept 15, 2020 from a political party of the same name (in both English and Japanese; 2017- Sept 15, 2020).
(b) Japanese-English dictionary:
* tōshu 党首 【とうしゅ】 (n): "party leader"
* tōron 討論 【とうろん】 (n,v): "debate; discussion"
(c) In Japan:
(i)
(A) 党首討論 or 党首討論会
(B) English: debate between party leaders, debate of party leaders, a debate session of party leaders (all in the context of JAPAN politics)
(ii) In Japan, there is a ruling party 与党, but there are several opposition parties 野党. In 党首討論, party heads of all opposition parties participate --with opposition leaders facing prime minister one at a time.
(iii) It is not discussion. See 焦点：朝野党首讨论围绕疫情与奥运激烈交锋. 共同社6月10日 (2021). https://china.kyodonews.net/news/2021/06/def7a2025722.html
(photo)
This is a simplified version of a Japanese news report -- the only Chinese in THIS posting, plus the top RFA report. That is, all other Chinese in this posting are kanji.
(d) 党首討論 https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/党首討論
("議会における公的な制度として行われる場合と、選挙期間においてマスメディアを通じて行われる場合とがある。日本の国会で行われる党首討論については、予算委員会と同様にテレビ・ラジオ中継及びネット配信が行われる。 [section 1 日本の国会:] 日本の国会では開会中に原則として毎週1回、衆参両院の国家基本政策委員会の合同審査会として首相（与党党首）と野党各党首による討論が行われる")
(i) my translation: There are two kinds of 党首討論: in 議会 and elections (the latter via mass media). For the former: Like 予算委員会 [and 本会議 [plenary session attended by all lawmakers, as opposed to 委員会], 党首討論 is televised and broadcast with radio and internet. [Section 1] in principle, once a week while National Diet 国会 is in session * * *
(ii) It is similar to UK's Prime Minister's Questions (PMQ).
(A) What is prime minister's questions? https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/4115878.stm
("Each week on Wednesday afternoon [12 noon to 12:30 pm] the prime minister must come to the House of Commons to answer oral questions for half an hour. * * * Traditionally the leader of the opposition may ask up to six questions during the session * * * MPs do not normally give the prime minister prior notice of the subject which they are going to raise. * * * The chance to ask the prime minister a question is highly prized. The names of the MPs [who is not opposition leader] who will get the chance to ask the prime minister a question are drawn in a weekly lottery")
(B) The latest PMQ in the frist three minutes showed an MP stood and asked a question not directly opposite prime minister, and
Keir Starmer (1962- ; Leader of Labor Party) stood up from a seat opposite the PM.
Prime Minister's Questions with British Sign Language (BSL). June 9, 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgcnQqbChZs
my translation: I have heard from枝野代表 many times about coronavirus. The strategy against Zero coronavirus, the keystone 要 is thorough search of all the infected, including asymptomatic persons. My party's stance is extremely 非常 cautious about enacting special measures law 特別措置法 (特措法 for short) to limit private rights. Are we to make every national take a test, to be forced to receive a test. This is for once, I'd like to inquire about method. Further, European nations and United States could not stop spreading of coronavirus despite thorough testing. If we can not force testing, what should we do? At the same time, time and again 何回となく Australia, New Zealand and Taiwan routinely 例に put out fine 罰金 and imprisonment with hard labor 懲役 that severely restrict private right. And then Australia is sparsely populated, with population density a hundredth of Japan's * * *
(ii) The PM was arguing against 立憲民主党「zeroコロナ」戦略 *strategy advanced by CDP).
(iii) This time, 枝野 幸男 said Taiwan was a successful country 成功している国 to stop the spreading of coronavirus. However he referred to Taiwan as a country or island nation numerous times before. See, eg,
Note:
(a) KATŌ Katsunobu 加藤 勝信, Chief Cabinet Secretary 内閣官房長官
(b) my translation: 加藤勝信官房長官, meeting with the press, on 菅義偉 首相's expression 表現, stated and corrected: "The country's stance is that as 通りin the 1972 日中共同声明 there is nochange whatever in nongovernmental, practical relationship [with Taiwan].
Kato unambiguously answered a question from press corps 記者団 whether there is no possibility to re-examine [Sino-Japanese] 共同声明 and change Taiwan status.