Diet sets 222nd session at 69 days and notifies Cabinet

On October 5, the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors each resolved that the session of the 222nd Diet would be 69 days and notified the Cabinet to that effect. Following its resolution, the House of Representatives notified the House of Councillors and the Cabinet; on the same day, Speaker Mori of the House of Representatives received a notification from President Sekiguchi of the House of Councillors stating that the House of Councillors had resolved the session to be 69 days. This series of resolutions and notifications was published in the Diet matters section of the Official Gazette (dated October 7, 2026).

The opening ceremony of the 222nd Diet was held on October 5 in the House of Councillors Chamber in the presence of His Majesty the Emperor. The Speaker of the House of Representatives delivered an address, and His Majesty the Emperor bestowed his words. The resolution of the session period was conducted in the respective plenary sessions of both houses, and the details of the resolution and the process of notification were officially announced as Diet matters for the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors on the same date.

House of Representatives Resolves 69 Days and Notifies House of Councillors and Cabinet

In a plenary session on October 5, the House of Representatives resolved that the session of the 222nd Diet would be 69 days and notified the House of Councillors and the Cabinet to that effect. The session period is indicated as the number of days starting from the opening on October 5, and the Official Gazette records only the facts of the resolution and notification.

On the same day, the House of Representatives received a notification addressed to Speaker Mori of the House of Representatives from President Sekiguchi of the House of Councillors. The notification conveyed that the House of Councillors had resolved the session of the 222nd Diet to be 69 days. Consequently, the notification to the Cabinet was made with the resolutions of both houses in agreement.

House of Councillors Also Resolves on the Same Day and Notifies House of Representatives and Cabinet

The Diet matters for the House of Councillors record that in a plenary session on October 5, it resolved that the session of the 222nd Diet would be 69 days and notified the House of Representatives and the Cabinet to that effect. The items regarding the resolution and notification of the session period were officially announced with the same date and the same number of days for both the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors.

The determination of the session period directly affects the deliberation schedule for government-submitted bills and member-submitted bills, the allocation of committee reviews, and the timing of votes. The duration of 69 days serves as the framework that determines the capacity to process bills aimed for enactment during the current Diet session.

Committee Personnel Appointments and Written Inquiries Proceeding Simultaneously with Session Determination

On October 5, the same day as the resolution of the session period, both houses processed a succession of committee personnel appointments and the submission of written inquiries. In the House of Representatives, the supplementary election of standing committee chairs, the election of special committee chairs, and the supplementary election of the chairperson of the Information Oversight Review Committee were conducted. In the House of Councillors, the permission for resignation and election of standing committee chairs, the mutual election of special committee chairs, the resignation and appointment of research committee chairs, and the resignation and appointment of the chairperson of the Political Ethics Review Committee were recorded.

The special committee chairs appointed in the House of Representatives include the following:

• Special Committee on Disaster Management and Reconstruction from the Great East Japan Earthquake: Tetsuya Kubota
• Special Committee on Okinawa, Northern Territories, and Regional Affairs: Sakura Uchikoshi
• Special Committee on the Issue of Abductions by North Korea: Sukemaro Fukuoka
• Special Committee on Official Development Assistance, International Cooperation, and Humanitarian Aid: Takao Makino
• Special Committee on the Formation of a Digital Society and the Utilization of Artificial Intelligence: Mitsuru Sakurai
• Special Committee on Consumer Issues: Shigefumi Matsuzawa
• Special Committee on Children, Child-rearing, and Youth Empowerment: Yoshifumi Hamano

On October 5, the following written inquiries were submitted by members of the House of Representatives. All were submitted by Representative Rintaro Ogata.

• Written inquiry regarding data centers
• Written inquiry regarding triangular arbitrage transactions
• Written inquiry regarding the codification of customary international law for international straits
• Written inquiry regarding the burden on the national treasury for foreign exchange interventions
• Written inquiry regarding the balance of government debt
• Written inquiry regarding the effectiveness of measures against the so-called “1.03 million yen wall”
• Written inquiry regarding the long-standing excessive tendency toward austerity
• Written inquiry regarding the anchoring of warships within specific sea areas

The 69 Days Determining the Deliberation Schedule and Timing of Bill Passage

With the session duration fixed at 69 days, it has reached a stage where the deliberation schedule and the timing of bill passage for the current Diet session can be foreseen. The fact that the session length was determined immediately after the committee compositions and chair appointments were finalized will serve as a factor in accelerating the start of reviews.

It will be necessary to process the written responses to the inquiries already submitted during the session while simultaneously proceeding with the review of government-submitted bills. As the number of days in the session is limited, the priority of deliberations and schedule coordination will be the focus moving forward.

Source: Official Gazette (dated October 7, Reiwa 8) Diet Matters (House of Representatives/House of Councillors). Descriptions regarding the opening ceremony and the opening of the 222nd Diet session are in the Official Gazette (dated October 6, Reiwa 8) Diet Matters.