The regular Diet session, which was extended in late June for 42 days through the end of July, is entering a critical period. Since it opened in January, the Diet has performed poorly, with a number of key bills still awaiting action.
Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's popularity has plummeted since he fired his foreign minister, Makiko Tanaka, in late January. Tanaka, an outspoken reformer, had been the "poster girl" for the Koizumi administration.
The administration's public approval rating stayed at a record 70 to 80 percent for the first nine months. Following Tanaka's dismissal, however, it plunged to around 40 percent. There are no signs it will go back up.