Diet session extended until end of Aug. as Kan seeks to hang on+

TOKYO, June 22 Kyodo -
The Democratic Party of Japan, led by Prime Minister Naoto Kan, pushed through on Wednesday an extension of the ordinary Diet session until the end of August, despite resistance from major opposition parties, in a bid to pass bills vital for the rebuilding of areas devastated by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
DPJ Secretary General Katsuya Okada told his counterparts from the Liberal Democratic Party and the New Komeito party that the timing of Kan's resignation is not tied to the extension. But he failed to win support from the opposition parties over the idea of extending the session, which had been scheduled to end on Wednesday, by 70 days.
Almost all lawmakers of the opposition parties rejected the extension as the DPJ had remained ambiguous about exactly when Kan, under fire for his perceived lack of leadership, would resign until the last minute.
''We were not opposed to prolonging the session,'' LDP leader Sadakazu Tanigaki told reporters. ''But we had to put our foot down as Kan's intention to save his neck was revealed as driving the schedule.''
Regardless of their opposition, the extension was approved as it was supported by a majority of lawmakers in the powerful House of Representatives, which is controlled by the DPJ.
Lawmakers from smaller opposition parties also supported the extension to Aug. 31.
However, without getting consent from the LDP and New Komeito, it is almost certain that the DPJ-led government will lose the much-needed cross-party cooperation in the divided Diet, where the House of Councillors is dominated by the opposition camp.
It is likely that tensions between the DPJ and the two opposition parties will escalate at a time when Japan can afford no further delay in reconstructing the disaster-stricken areas in the northeast.
''We need to have a little cooling-off period,'' Okada told reporters, referring to the aggravation of the DPJ's relations with the two major opposition parties.
On Tuesday, after days of negotiations, the three parties struck a basic deal for Kan to step down in exchange for gaining cooperation from the LDP and New Komeito in passing the second extra budget and a bill needed for the government to issue deficit-covering bonds for fiscal 2011.
The deal was made on condition that the session would be extended by around 50 days and that Kan would not be responsible for crafting the third extra budget for the year started April, which will be much bigger than the first and second ones to finance post-disaster reconstruction measures.
But Kan, who has been in office for a year, did not accept the condition, according to lawmakers. The LDP and New Komeito have now decided to scrap the deal, because they believe Kan is trying to cling to power for a longer period.
If all had gone smoothly, the supplementary budget and the bond-issuance bill could have been enacted in July. The outlook is now murky.
In addition to the disaster-relief budget and the bill needed for the government to secure about 40 percent of the revenue planned in fiscal 2011, Kan has shown strong resolve to pass a bill aimed at promoting the use of renewable energy.
When leaving his office Wednesday night, Kan showed determination not to leave the top post in the immediate future.
''The restoration and reconstruction (of the disaster-stricken areas) and then natural energy,'' Kan told reporters when asked what he wants to do the most in the rest of the Diet session.
The bill aimed at introducing a feed-in-tariff system to oblige utilities to buy electricity generated by renewable energy, such as solar and wind, at fixed prices was submitted to the lower house on April 5. But it has yet to be debated by lawmakers in the Diet.
The 64-year-old premier has also suggested a desire to get involved in the formulation of the third extra budget this summer.
Okada and Kan held talks in the afternoon to discuss how the government and the DPJ should deal with their key policies in the Diet, according to the lawmakers.
Kan is likely to appoint someone as state minister in charge of the reconstruction work on Friday. The new ministerial post was created after a relevant bill was passed this week with support from the LDP and New Komeito.
Shizuka Kamei, leader of the People's New Party, the junior partner in the DPJ-led coalition government, disclosed at a news conference that he has recommended Kan carry out a major Cabinet reshuffle during this summer.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano told reporters the government is preparing for Kan to hold a news conference in the near future in connection with the appointment of the new ministerial post.
Kan has not given a news conference for three weeks since he expressed his readiness to quit in the not-too-distant future.
Okada is also making arrangements to organize a meeting of all DPJ lawmakers next Tuesday, before the extended Diet session gets into full swing, the lawmakers said.
On June 2, Kan survived a no-confidence motion by promising to turn his job over to the younger generation, once certain progress is made in rebuilding the region devastated by the March earthquake and tsunami and containing the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant. Still, he has not said exactly when.
==Kyodo