Two opposition parties boycotted Friday's plenary session of the House of Representatives to protest remarks made by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on pension reform.
The Democratic Party of Japan and the Social Democratic Party refused to take part in the day's deliberations, stating that Koizumi needs to clarify comments made to the chamber the day before.
The prime minister voiced support for a future integration of the nation's three pension systems, while also urging the legislature to pass government-sponsored bills to revise the existing pension scheme.