The government and the ruling Democratic Party of Japan decided Wednesday to convene an extraordinary Diet session on Oct. 1 instead of Oct. 6.

The extra session will be the first since Prime Minister Naoto Kan was re-elected DPJ leader, defeating party heavyweight Ichiro Ozawa. Kan reshuffled his Cabinet and the party leadership last week.

The dates for extra Diet sessions are technically the domain of the DPJ-led Cabinet. At a morning news conference, DPJ Diet Affairs Chief Yoshio Hachiro confirmed the date, which was pushed forward to secure enough time for the ruling and opposition camps to deliberate.