Japan's 222nd Diet session opens with a policy speech on proactive fiscal policy

5 October 2026

The 222nd session of Japan's Diet began on 5 October and is set to run until 12 December, a 69-day autumn session.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi used her policy address to the chamber to set out the government's priorities.
She promised long-term government spending to draw in investment and strengthen the economy, under what she calls a responsible, proactive fiscal policy.
She argued that Japan is beginning to come out of nearly three decades of economic stagnation but needs more action to turn higher wages and investment into lasting growth.
A weak yen and worries about government funding hang over the plan.
The session is an extraordinary one, and the government's bills on the consumption tax and a cash benefit are the main business before it.
Japan's Diet has two houses; the upper house, the Sangiin, has been known in English as the House of Councillors and is now styled the Senate.