Information sources said that Japan will limit the number of bills that can be submitted during the upcoming regular session of parliament ahead of the Upper House election.
The government plans to submit 61 bills during the session from Jan. 17, which is slightly less than average, because it looks difficult to extend the session ahead of this summer s election.
The government will prioritize legislation on key issues which Prime Minister Fumio Kishida wants to highlight, such as bills to create an agency for children and families and improve economic security, the sources said.
With the triennial Upper House election likely to be held on July 10, the ruling and opposition blocs are expected to engage in a war of words over various topics, such as the responses to the omicron variant of the coronaviruses.
The government usually submits 65 bills in a regular Diet session. In the years of Upper House elections, the number tends to fall, at 56 in 2016 and 57 in 2019.
A source in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party said that even 61 bills are too many and that the party has asked government agencies to lower the number further.
Legislation to revise immigration control and refugee recognition law, which was nixed during the regular session last year, is not included in the 61 bills.
The legislation is expected to cause disagreement between the ruling and opposition parties, so there is no need to revive it before the Upper House election, a government source said.