With the crucial Upper House election looming next month, the House of Representatives approved a controversial bill Thursday aimed at curbing "amakudari," the notorious practice of handing retiring top bureaucrats lucrative jobs in private-sector firms and quasi-government entities in the sectors they oversaw.
The bill's passage next through the House of Councilors is a priority for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, whose scandal-rocked administration is desperate to appeal to voters before the July 22 poll.
But many politicians say there isn't enough time to discuss the bill. The chamber must pass it while the Diet is in session, but the Diet closes for the year on June 23.