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Japan's Diet Returns to Work as Parliament Faces a Compressed End‑of‑Session Schedule

Restarted committee activity leaves many government bills unfinished, raising the risk of last‑minute stalemates before the session ends.

Overview

  • The Diet has resumed committee meetings but lawmakers face a tight timetable with numerous government bills still unpassed, creating a high risk of last‑minute failures.
  • Five opposition caucuses refiled a new Minamata disease relief bill to the House of Councillors, but passage this session is unlikely given the compressed schedule.
  • Narita International Airport, the transport ministry and nearby local governments agreed to begin land expropriation procedures after roughly 53 hectares lacked owner consent for runway work.
  • Japan’s three megabanks are coordinating a joint business‑continuity framework so one bank can substitute critical operations for another if AI‑driven cyberattacks force systems offline.
  • Science published a University of Tokyo study showing optogenetic control of a 'dislike' response in mice with potential relevance for depression research, and MEXT proposed linking national university operating grants to inflation and personnel costs aiming for fiscal 2028 implementation.