Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Komeito leader Natsuo Yamaguchi decided Monday to extend the current Diet session, originally to end Wednesday, by 95 days to Sept. 27 — the longest extension in postwar history — in a bid to enact the controversial security bills.
Later in the day, the Lower House approved the extension in a majority vote led by Abe's Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito, the junior partner in the ruling coalition that holds a majority in both Diet chambers.
The lengthy extension underlines Abe's determination to pass the two bills, which would revise 10 security laws and ease various constraints on Self-Defense Forces operations.
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