Japan’s parliament decided on Friday to extend its current session for eight days until July 25 as the ruling bloc needs more time to pass key bills
The Diet debate schedule has become packed after a stalemate following an opposition boycott that started in late June over a bill to slash the number of House of Representatives seats sponsored by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its junior coalition partner, the Japan Innovation Party
The second capital law will serve as a key scheme for the JIP’s drive to reorganize the western city of Osaka, where the party has its stronghold, into a metropolis like Tokyo by introducing special wards
During the extended parliamentary session, the ruling coalition also aims at passing a bill to revise the law on referendums for amending the Constitution, in preparation for a future first national vote to revise the supreme law, a long-held goal for the LDP led by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi
It will be the first extension of a parliamentary session since 2024. The more powerful lower house voted on the extension plan, with the ruling bloc holding far more than two-thirds of its 465 seats
The parliamentary standoff ended last week after the ruling coalition promised the opposition it would not seek to pass the seat-cut bill during the ongoing session
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