Japan to Start Ordinary Diet Session on Jan. 23

Tokyo, Dec. 25 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government plans to convene next year’s ordinary session of the Diet, the country’s parliament, on Jan. 23, it was learned Thursday. Hiroshi Kajiyama, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s Diet affairs chief, conveyed the plan to his counterpart from the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, Hirofumi Ryu, at their meeting on the day. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is expected to deliver her administrative policy speech on the first day of the ordinary session, which will run for 150 days until June 21. It will be the first time for Takaichi to give such a speech in an ordinary Diet session since taking office in October. Question-and-answer sessions on the prime minister’s speech will follow. On Jan. 13, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara will formally present the plan at an executive meeting of both Diet chambers’ steering committees. At Thursday’s meeting, Kajiyama and Ryu reaffirmed that one-on-one parliamentary debates between the prime minister and each opposition party leader will be held every month between April and June, in accordance with an agreement between the ruling and opposition parties. Regarding the government budget bill for fiscal 2026, which will start next April, Ryu proposed that each ministry and agency check the details. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]