Japan oppn requests extension to parliamentary session

Tokyo, June 11 The main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ) on Friday requested that the current parliamentary session should be extended by three more months to allow for more debate on matters related to Covid-19 and the Tokyo Olympics.

The request was made by the CDPJ's head of Diet affairs Jun Azumi to his counterpart Hiroshi Moriyama in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) during a meeting, reports Xinhua news agency.

The request came as the CDPJ and other opposition parties have been critical of the government's response to the pandemic, believing that its efforts to curb the spread of the virus have been inadequate, particularly the slow pace of its vaccination campaign.

They have also taken issue with Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's pledge that holding the Olympics this summer in Tokyo will be "safe and secure".

This came amid opposition parties' concerns that the capital is currently under a third Covid-19 state of emergency, along with nine other prefectures, as the entire nation continues to grapple with the fourth wave of the pandemic.

On June 14 when Suga returns to Japan after his trip to the UK for the G7 Leaders' Summit, the LDP-led coalition will reply to the CDPJ's request for the current session, set to end next on June 16, to be extended, Moriyama said.

Opposition parties have said they will file a vote of no confidence in Suga's cabinet if the request for an extension is turned down by the ruling coalition.

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