Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori opened a 13-day extraordinary Diet session Friday by renewing pledges to exert leadership to put the economy on a self-sustained recovery track. He also pledged to work on structural reforms by promoting the development of information technology.

In his first policy speech since the June general election, Mori also emphasized the positive outcomes — such as the adoption of an IT charter — of the July 21-23 Group of Eight summit in Okinawa.

In deciding to host the G8 summit outside Tokyo, Mori's predecessor, the late Keizo Obuchi, had hoped the high-profile conference would turn the world's attention to Okinawa.