TOKYO – Japan’s parliament will convene a 150-day regular session on Jan. 23, a source familiar with the matter said Thursday, with a draft budget for fiscal 2026 and some key bills for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s government expected to be deliberated.
The government has conveyed the schedule to executives of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party led by Takaichi, according to the source. The session, the first since she took office in October, is set to end on June 21 unless extended.
Takaichi, a fiscal dove pursuing “responsible yet aggressive” public finances, aims to enact by the end of March the initial budget for the next fiscal year starting April, which is likely to reach a record high of around 122.3 trillion yen ($790 billion).
A bill on the creation of a “second capital” to serve as a backup in times of crisis, with the aim of reducing the concentration of power in Tokyo, is also likely to be discussed during the session.
The vision effectively aligns with the “Osaka metropolis plan,” a pet project of the Japan Innovation Party based in the western Japan prefecture. The LDP and the JIP, also known as Nippon Ishin, pledged to pass the bill when they formed a coalition in October.
A bill to slash the number of House of Representatives seats by 10 percent is also expected to be among those submitted during the regular parliamentary session.
Downsizing the 465-member lower house was also part of the coalition agreement reached by the two parties and is a top priority for the JIP. They had tried to pass the bill this year but failed, casting uncertainty over the future of the coalition.
The ruling bloc only has a slim majority of 233 seats in the lower chamber and remains a minority in the House of Councillors, holding 120 of the 248 seats.
The Democratic Party for the People, a rising opposition force, has indicated it will cooperate on passing the fiscal 2026 budget in return for the LDP’s acceptance of its request to raise the tax-free annual income threshold, aimed at boosting households’ net income.
Before the Diet session begins, Takaichi is expected to host separate bilateral meetings in Japan with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in mid-January.
AloJapan.com