The approval means the agreement, reached by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. President Donald Trump in late September, now moves to the Upper House.
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party and coalition partner Komeito are aiming to ratify the trade deal before end of the current Diet session on Dec. 9.
That would allow them to accommodate Washington’s push for it to enter into force on Jan. 1.
Under the deal, Japan will gradually lower its 38.5 percent tariff on U.S. beef to 9 percent, and remove or reduce its tariffs on U.S. pork.
Other American products, including cheese, wine and wheat, will also gain greater access to the Japanese market.
The United States, for its part, will remove or reduce tariffs on some types of manufacturing equipment as well as for other industrial products, including parts for air conditioners and trains from Japan.
Japan's hotel industry is being hit hard by a large number of cancellations resulting from the spread of the new coronavirus in China.
(NHK) 
Will wearing a surgical mask help protect against the new coronavirus that originated in the central Chinese city of Wuhan and has so far killed more than 80 people? (Nikkei) 
A Japanese group of researchers says it has conducted heart surgery using sheets of heart muscle cells made from iPS cells.
(NHK) 
Japan's health ministry says it has confirmed the country's fourth case of the new coronavirus.
(NHK) 
Tokyo and Washington are making plans to evacuate Japanese and American citizens from Wuhan, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak that has claimed more than 50 lives, while Honda Motor said Sunday it was evacuating about 30 employees and family members out of the area back to Japan. (Nikkei) 
After a victory no one would have dared predict, Tokushoryu also proved to be a champion in the afterglow on Sunday. (Kyodo) 
Osamu Yano, a former gang boss on death row over the killing of four persons nearly two decades ago, has died in prison in an apparent suicide, the Ministry of Justice said, reports TBS News (Jan. 26). (tokyoreporter.com) 
A former SoftBank Corp. employee was arrested Saturday for allegedly passing proprietary information from the major phone carrier to officials at Russia’s trade representative office in Tokyo. (Japan Times) 
Narita Airport east of Tokyo is crowded with tourists from China as the Lunar New Year holiday period gets underway.
(NHK) 
A former care home worker accused of mass killings in Japan has rejected his lawyers' argument that he is mentally unfit to stand trial.
(NHK)