The Diet's 150-day regular session ended in turmoil Wednesday as the opposition passed a non-binding censure motion against Prime Minister Shinzo Abe — and scrapped four government-sponsored bills in the process.
Unlike the Lower House, no-confidence motions filed in the upper chamber carry no legal weight. But since the opposition parties usually boycott all remaining Diet sessions when one is passed, any pending bills are automatically scrapped.
The opposition's aggressive move on the session's last day was intended as a show of force before the critical Upper House election on July 21, which could see the Liberal Democratic Party-New Komeito ruling coalition take full control of the legislature.