TOKYO —

A date for convening the next extraordinary Diet session will be decided on at a meeting of senior members of the government and ruling coalition parties on Tuesday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura said Monday. The date ‘‘should be clarified tomorrow,’’ Machimura told a news conference. The ruling parties—the Liberal Democratic Party and the New Komeito party—have remained apart on when to open the session, which is to focus on the extension of Japan’s refueling activities in support of U.S.-led antiterrorism operations in and around Afghanistan.

Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda has said he would like to convene the session before September, apparently to ensure enough time to force Diet approval of a bill to extend the refueling mission in a second vote at the House of Representatives should the opposition-controlled House of Councillors refuse to vote on it. But the New Komeito party has opposed convening the Diet session earlier than usual, showing reluctance to take measures to force passage of the bill.

Kyodo

2 Comments

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  LIBERTAS at 11:05 AM JST - 19th August

  Blah, blah, blah! Blah, blah, blah! Blah, blah, blah! Blah, blah, blah! And by Christmas we can congratulate ourselves on having achieved "Blah, blah, blah! Blah, blah, blah!" N O T H I N G!

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  some14some at 04:03 PM JST - 19th August

  Long vacation, peaceful Diet= no debate because no burning issues?

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