A 150-day regular Diet session convenes Monday as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe continues to grapple with a hostage crisis that will likely spur debate about Tokyo's fight against terrorism.
Since the apparent killing of one of two Japanese hostages being held by a group thought to be Islamic State, Japan, vowing not to yield to terrorism, has been scrambling to secure the release of the other captive — freelance journalist Kenji Goto — through every channel.
The Diet session comes amid Abe's repeated calls for raising Japan's security profile abroad by making "proactive" contributions to global peace and security. Japan pledged $200 million in "humanitarian and nonmilitary support," including providing aid to countries helping refugees from Syria and Iraq, before the hostage crisis started.