The Diet session was extended by 70 days Wednesday, giving Prime Minister Naoto Kan and his Democratic Party of Japan some breathing room as they try to enact several key bills by the end of August.
But the two main opposition parties, the Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito, voted against the extension; Kan and the DPJ are sure to have a difficult time during deliberations in the days ahead.
The DPJ repeatedly flip-flopped over the length of the extension, from four months to 50 days to 70 days, and the timing of Kan's resignation continues to remain unclear, triggering criticism from the LDP and New Komeito.
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