Diet convened today Expects fierce debate from the beginning over defense costs

The 211th ordinary session of the Diet will be convened on the 23rd.

The government and ruling parties are aiming for early enactment of the new fiscal year's budget in order to deal with rising prices and strengthen defense capabilities.

Opposition parties, on the other hand, are poised to pursue the government's policy of increasing taxes in line with the increase in defense spending, and a fierce debate is expected to develop from the beginning.

On the 23rd, the day of the convocation, after the opening ceremony is held with the Emperor, Prime Minister Kishida will deliver a policy speech and other four government speeches at the plenary sessions of both houses of the House of Representatives.

In his administrative policy speech, Prime Minister Kishida positioned child and childcare policies as the most important policies, and stated that he would implement a different dimension of countermeasures against the declining birthrate, as well as secure a defense budget of 43 trillion yen over five years. We have decided to show our policy to promote further strengthening.

The government and ruling parties are working to pass the new fiscal year's budget, which includes the cost of measures to deal with the novel coronavirus and soaring prices, within the fiscal year. We aim to enact a bill that includes such things as limited use.

In response, the opposition parties have increasingly criticized the Kishida government for making important policy decisions one after another without deliberating them in the Diet. It is poised to pursue the energy policy of Japan.

In addition, in response to the successive resignations of cabinet ministers in the Kishida Cabinet during last year's extraordinary session of the Diet, we plan to rectify issues such as politics and money, and the relationship between the former Unification Church and politics.

The ordinary session of the Diet will last for 150 days until June 21, and with the unified local elections scheduled for April, it is expected that the ruling and opposition parties will be fiercely debated from the beginning of the session.