Japan party leaders’ debate to be extended to 80 minutes

TOKYO, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) — Japan’s ruling and opposition party lawmakers on Monday agreed to extend the planned debate of party leaders in the Diet, the nation’s parliament, from the standard length of 45 minutes to 80 minutes, local media reported.
The agreement was reached between the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)’s Diet affairs leader in the House of Councillors, the upper parliamentary chamber, and his counterpart at the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, Jiji Press reported.
The Diet will extend such a debate for the first time since February 2003, the report said.
The debate pitting LDP President and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba against the heads of opposition parties is scheduled for Wednesday, when the current extraordinary Diet session will end. ■