Tokyo, 15 September, /AJMEDIA/
Japan’s extraordinary parliament session is likely to be convened on Oct 3, a ruling party lawmaker said, in what would be the first Diet debate since Prime Minister Fumio Kishida reshuffled his cabinet in early August.
During the session, the Liberal Democratic Party and its junior coalition partner, Komeito, are set to seek the passage of a second supplementary budget for the fiscal year through March 2023, centering on a new relief package to tackle rising price hikes.
The ruling bloc will also try to enact other bills related to the novel coronavirus pandemic, such as one aimed at ensuring adequate hospital beds and medical supplies for COVID-19 patients, according to the source.
Opposition parties are keen to grill Kishida over issues that have triggered a recent drop in approval ratings for his Cabinet, including suspicious ties between ruling lawmakers and the controversial Unification Church.
Swelling costs for the Sept 27 state funeral for former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was fatally shot by a lone gunman during an election campaign speech in early July, are also expected on the agenda at the parliamentary session.
The opposition camp has urged the government to convene the extraordinary session as soon as possible for Kishida to explain the matters, but the debate will begin after he travels to New York later this month to attend the U.N. General Assembly.
Dubious relations between LDP lawmakers and the Unification Church, founded in South Korea in 1954 and labeled a cult by critics, have been under scrutiny following Abe’s death.
Abe’s attacker told investigators that he harbored a grudge against the religious organization as his mother’s massive donations to the group ruined his family’s finances.
Earlier this month, the internal survey conducted by the LDP showed that around half of its lawmakers had some dealings with the Unification Church, such as sending congratulatory messages to the religious organization or its affiliated groups.
The opposition bloc has also voiced eagerness to take up the issue of Abe’s state funeral at the extraordinary parliamentary session.
The government estimates allocating over 1.6 billion yen of taxpayers’ money for the state funeral, although it previously said it would spend 249 million yen. The total cost could balloon in the end.
