Japan Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi Faces Parliamentary Scrutiny

After a special Diet session ended, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is scheduled to appear before the Lower House Budget Committee for questioning. Opposition lawmakers plan to probe the ruling coalition’s razor‑thin approval of a bill to create a second capital should Tokyo be incapacitated by a major disaster, as well as recent legislation revising the Imperial House Law and establishing a national intelligence council.

Takaichi’s attendance at intensive budget‑committee deliberations was markedly lower than that of her predecessors, with just over 30 hours logged during the session. The shortfall drew criticism from within the Liberal Democratic Party; a party executive said, “No one takes those words at face value,” and senior LDP figures noted her reluctance to appear before the committees, contrasting her record with former prime ministers who logged 50‑90 hours in comparable periods.