Ruling and opposition party lawmakers agreed on Monday to hold a planned debate of party leaders in the Diet, Japan's parliament, for 80 minutes, against the standard length of 45 minutes.
The agreement was reached between the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's Diet affairs leader in the House of Councilors, the upper chamber, and his counterpart at the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP). The Diet will extend such a debate for the first time since February 2003.
The debate pitting LDP President and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba against the heads of opposition parties is scheduled for Wednesday, the last day of the current extraordinary Diet session.
Meanwhile, the Diet affairs chiefs of six parties — the LDP, its coalition partner Komeito, the CDP, Nippon Ishin no Kai, the Japanese Communist Party and the Democratic Party for the People — also held a meeting Monday.
The opposition side demanded that the Diet session be extended to hold Budget Committee meetings. LDP Diet affairs leader Tetsushi Sakamoto expressed a negative view when speaking to reporters later.
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