TOKYO: The Japanese government on Tuesday announced a plan to convene this year’s regular session of the Diet, Japan’s parliament, on Jan. 26 for a 150-day run through June 23.

Chief Cabinet Secretary HAYASHI Yoshimasa presented the plan at executive meetings of both Diet chambers’ steering committees.

The government and ruling parties will submit a fiscal 2024 state budget bill to the regular Diet session, aiming to have it enacted before the current fiscal year ends in March.

In the session, opposition parties are expected to go on the offensive over a high-profile political funds scandal involving factions of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.

At Tuesday’s executive meeting of the House of Representatives steering committee, the ruling bloc proposed scheduling four policy speeches, including one by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, on the first day of the regular Diet session and question-and-answer sessions on the speeches on Jan. 29-30. The opposition camp held off a decision on whether to accept the proposal, stressing the need for the prime minister to offer explanations in the Diet about the political funds scandal.

The government is expected to submit about 60 bills to the regular Diet session, including one for creating a security clearance system to certify those who can handle confidential information and one aimed at introducing a joint custody system via a revision to the Civil Code.

JIJI Press