The government has postponed the regular cabinet meeting attended by all ministers for decision-making from Nov. 28 to Nov. 29. Except for extended public holidays and other special reasons, cabinet meetings are held on Tuesday and Friday mornings in principle. A change of schedule is very unusual.

According to a source at the Kantei, this was due to the need for sufficient time to prepare the Prime Minister’s responses for the House of Representatives Budget Committee meeting.

A total of 11 opposition lawmakers grilled the government on Nov. 28 on the issue of the sale of government-owned land to Moritomo Gakuen, which the Board of Audit questioned. Although cabinet meetings had been held in the past even on days the Budget Committee was meeting, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s aides reckoned that “full preparations” were needed for the Moritomo Gakuen issue, which is one reason behind the recent decline in the cabinet support rate.

Although the House of Councillors Budget Committee is also meeting on Nov. 29, ruling party Diet members will be asking the questions most of the time at that meeting, so it was judged that “this should not prevent the holding of a cabinet meeting.”