During the 190th regular Diet session, which closed on June 1, 50 of the bills submitted by the government passed. This is the fourth lowest number in the postwar period. The rate of enactment was 89.3%. With an eye on the upcoming House of Councillors election, the ruling parties decided not to enact a bill to ratify the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement and related bills in view of strong dissent from the opposition parties.

In a meeting on June 1 of the party’s House of Representatives members, Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Secretary General Sadakazu Tanigaki stressed the party’s achievements during the regular session, saying, “We were able to pass such important bills as two supplementary budgets, including one for dealing with the Kumamoto earthquakes, and bills related to reform the Lower House electoral system.”

Since it will be difficult to substantially extend the Diet session on account of the upcoming House of Councillors election, the government and ruling coalition narrowed down the number of bills to be submitted to the Diet to 56, intending to pass all bills. However, since the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) and other parties boycotted deliberations because of the issue of former Economic Revitalization Minister Akira Amari’s involvement in a political funds scandal and the TPP approval bill and related legislation, there was not enough time to hold discussions on all the bills. (Abridged)