The Lower House entered substantive debate Tuesday on two sets of bills designed to reorganize the central government and decentralize state powers, underlining the need to create a new government to meet the changing needs of society.

The Lower House's special committee on administrative reforms is discussing 17 bills to reorganize the 22 existing government ministries and agencies into 10 ministries, two agencies and a commission. It is also debating revisions to 475 bills concerning dispersing state power to local governments.

The government is placing priority on the two sets of bills during the remainder of the current Diet session, which is scheduled to end June 17.