The Diet returned to normal Feb. 9, two weeks after the opposition forces started boycotting all proceedings to protest against the ruling bloc's handling of a controversial bill to reduce Diet seats. The turmoil started when the three-party governing coalition passed the bill for cutting Lower House proportional-representation seats by 20 at a Lower House special committee meeting in the absence of opposition members. The impasse ended through the mediation of Lower House Speaker Soichiro Ito.

The priority task for the Diet in the current ordinary session is to enact the fiscal 2000 government budget, which features strong economic stimulus measures. Lawmakers of the opposition Democratic Party of Japan, Japan Communist Party and Social Democratic Party refused to attend both Houses' plenary sessions at the outset of the Diet session, in which Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi delivered his policy speech and opposition leaders were supposed to question him about his policies. This was the first time in modern Japanese political history that opposition forces boycotted a prime minister's policy speech at an ordinary Diet session.

Meanwhile, the seat-reduction legislation became law when the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its partners -- the Liberal Party and New Komeito -- railroaded it through the Upper House without committee debate.