The ruling coalition and the Democratic Party of Japan agreed to normalize Diet business Monday, paving the way for the House of Representatives to hold a special debate Tuesday on a bribery scandal involving the Japan Dental Association.
The two sides also agreed to hear Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi's report on the kidnappings of Japanese nationals in Iraq at a plenary session of the Lower House the same day.
The DPJ and the Social Democratic Party have been boycotting Lower House deliberations since Friday to protest the ruling coalition's decision to discuss pension reform legislation at the welfare and labor committee instead of holding a session to specifically address the dental scandal.
But the DPJ and SDP effectively caved in to the ruling coalition, which was determined to continue Diet debate without the two parties. The SDP is also expected to resume Diet deliberations, Diet sources said.