The government and ruling bloc have taken aggressive measures to have the House of Representatives pass the fiscal 2024 budget, in the face of growing criticism from opposition forces over a high-profile political funds scandal involving factions of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
Behind the move is Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's desire to save face and prevent the support rate for his administration from falling any further.
But Kishida's explanation has so far done little to help get to the bottom of the scandal, and the struggle within parliament management by the government and ruling camp has created further turmoil. There are even a number of lawmakers within the LDP and its coalition partner Komeito who now openly question Kishida's leadership.