Japan Parliament to Begin Extraordinary Session Nov. 28

Tokyo, Nov. 14 (Jiji Press)--Japan’s parliament is expected to be convened into an extraordinary session on Nov. 28 to discuss a supplementary budget that will finance a planned economic package and proposed revisions to the political funds control law in the wake of a slush funds scandal, government officials said Thursday.

The administration of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba needs cooperation from opposition parties to enact bills after his ruling coalition lost its majority in the House of Representatives, the powerful lower chamber of parliament, in an election last month.

Ishiba’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party is considering having him deliver a policy speech at both parliamentary chambers on Nov. 29 and holding a question-and-answer session about the speech on Dec. 2-4.

The ruling coalition hopes that parliament will start deliberations on the supplementary budget on Dec. 9 following budget committee meetings on Dec. 5-6.

At a meeting of parliamentary affairs chiefs from ruling and opposition parties on Thursday, the opposition side sought to pass law revisions at the extraordinary session to ensure transparency of allowances provided to lawmakers to cover research, public relations and accommodation expenses.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]