The government is expected to postpone submission until next year of a bill that would introduce an “active cyberdefense” system allowing for preemptive actions against cyberattacks, after the Liberal Democratic Party-led bloc’s dismal Lower House election performance drained Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s political capital.

With the upcoming session of parliament expected to largely focus on a revision of the political-funds control law and the approval of an economic stimulus package, calendar constraints likely won’t allow time for a thorough deliberation of the bill.

At a news conference Monday, Ishiba insisted that the government will do its utmost to speed up discussions on the issue, calling cyberattacks a “looming threat.”