With less than two weeks before the scheduled end of parliament, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi¡¯s government is racing to get as much legislation as possible passed before the summer recess, even as it faces questions about whether to extend the session to allow more time for debate.
But with the opposition parties remaining firmly against two highly controversial bills ¡ª one reducing the number of parliamentary seats and the other establishing a secondary capital ¡ª the prime minister is caught between honoring a promise to the Liberal Democratic Party¡¯s coalition partner and the reality that the ruling coalition lacks an Upper House majority to pass the bills in that chamber.
The Japan Innovation Party (JIP, also known as Nippon Ishin no Kai) agreed to join the LDP in a coalition last October in exchange for passage of the two bills, and is demanding that Takaichi make good on her promise by the current parliamentary session, scheduled to end on July 17.?
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