Japan Extraordinary Diet Session Kicks Off

Tokyo, Oct. 5 (Jiji Press)--An extraordinary session of the Diet, Japan's parliament, convened on Monday, setting the stage for the first parliamentary debate since the cabinet reshuffle by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi last month.

In the 222nd Diet session, scheduled to run for 69 days until Dec. 12, key agenda items will include legislation to cut the consumption tax on food and the ruling parties' plans to reduce the number of seats in the House of Representatives, the lower Diet chamber.

After an opening ceremony attended by Emperor Naruhito and Takaichi's policy speech before both chambers Monday, party representatives will ask questions on the speech from Wednesday to Friday. The Lower House Budget Committee, attended by all cabinet members including Takaichi, is expected to begin deliberations Oct. 13.

"We hope to steadily implement a drastic policy shift as a cabinet committed to determination, challenge and action," Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told a press conference.

Meanwhile, Shunichi Mizuoka, leader of the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, expressed a readiness to confront the ruling camp, saying, "We need to take highly effective support measures as inflation continues."

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]