Special session of Japanese parliament put off for a week

The Japanese government notified the Diet on Wednesday that an extraordinary session of parliament, originally scheduled for this week, will now convene on Oct 21. Lawmakers are expected to elect a new prime minister during the session, though the exact timing of the vote has yet to be decided, Nikkei Asia reported.

Sanae Takaichi, the newly elected leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, said on Tuesday that some people doubted she would become prime minister despite her election as party president. "They may feel sorry for me, but I will never give up," she said.

A series of meetings between ruling and opposition party leaders, as well as within opposition parties, was scheduled for Wednesday afternoon, Kyodo News said. The LDP was also set to hold separate talks at the Diet in the afternoon with the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and the Democratic Party for the People, and Takaichi was expected to meet Japan Innovation Party's leader Hirofumi Yoshimura later the same day.

On Tuesday the secretary-generals of the ruling LDP and the opposition DPFP held talks. The LDP is seeking the DPFP's cooperation in managing Diet affairs, with an eye on forming a coalition. The Constitutional Democratic Party, the largest opposition force, is working to unite opposition parties in an effort to make the DPFP leader Yuichiro Tamaki the next prime minister, Japanese media reported.

After Takaichi won the ruling LDP's presidential election on Oct 4, its junior coalition partner Komeito said last week it would quit the coalition government, citing an "insufficient" response to a political funding scandal, and would not back her in the upcoming Diet vote.

The LDP now holds 196 of the 465 seats in the House of Representatives, and Komeito holds 24. The LDP holds 100 of the 248 seats in the House of Councillors, and Komeito holds 21.

The election of a new prime minister, initially expected this week, has been postponed amid continuing political uncertainty.

Amid the political turmoil, Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato said on Tuesday that Japan needs to develop a new economic strategy to address the current situation, in which inflation, rather than deflation, has become a major concern.

"It goes without saying that the situation has changed," Kato said at a regular news conference when asked about his views on former prime minister Shinzo Abe's stimulus policies. Takaichi is known for her staunch support of Abe's policies.

Agencies contributed to this story.