Jun 18 (Japan Times) - The Diet wrapped up a 150-day session Wednesday after the ruling coalition rejected calls from the opposition for an extension to the year's end to cope with the ongoing coronavirus crisis.
The ruling and opposition parties instead settled on a compromise plan to hold committee sessions to discuss the coronavirus response while parliament is in recess. As a result, the opposition bloc did not, as per their custom, submit a no-confidence motion against the Cabinet of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
The end of the session came after Japan emerged from a nationwide state of emergency Abe declared to fight the spread of the coronavirus. But the Japanese leader's handling of the epidemic and a series of scandals have sharply weakened public support.
Opposition parties had demanded that the parliamentary session be extended until Dec. 28 as many questions are left unanswered.
Opposition party lawmakers are urging the government to give further explanations as to why it suddenly suspended a plan to deploy Aegis Ashore land-based missile defense systems designed to counter ballistic missile threats from North Korea.
"If requested, the government will fulfill accountability even during a parliamentary recess," Abe told reporters at his office.
The government on Monday announced the suspension of the missile plan that had been fervently pushed by Abe, citing technical and cost issues.
