The House of Representatives voted Friday to extend the current Diet session by 55 days until Aug. 13 to ensure passage of bills to privatize Japan Post.
The decision to extend the 150-day session, initially set to end Sunday, was finalized in a Lower House plenary session by a majority vote, carried by the ruling parties and opposed by the opposition camp.
Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has put priority on getting the privatization bills passed in the regular session.
He has given up on a proposal that the state-run postal system be significantly streamlined and has agreed to extend the Diet session until Aug. 13 due to strong resistance to the bills from the opposition side and groups within his ruling Liberal Democratic Party.