The Diet wrapped up a 150-day session Wednesday after the ruling coalition rejected calls from the opposition for an extension to the year's end to cope with the ongoing coronavirus crisis.
The ruling and opposition parties instead settled on a compromise plan to hold committee sessions to discuss the coronavirus response while parliament is in recess. As a result, the opposition bloc did not, as per their custom, submit a no-confidence motion against the Cabinet of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
The end of the session came after Japan emerged from a nationwide state of emergency Abe declared to fight the spread of the coronavirus. But the Japanese leader's handling of the epidemic and a series of scandals have sharply weakened public support.