Parliament on Wednesday passed into law a bill to convert the Science Council of Japan from a state organization into a special public corporation.

The new law for the council, which represents the country's scientific community, will come into effect in October 2026.

In a plenary meeting of the House of Councilors, the upper chamber of parliament, the bill was approved by a majority vote with support from the ruling bloc and Nippon Ishin no Kai, an opposition party, following its passage last month at the House of Representatives, the lower chamber.