通常国会、来月２０日に召集　「桜」引き続き焦点に

　政府・与党は、来年１月２０日に通常国会を召集する方向で最終調整に入った。複数の与党幹部が１３日、明らかにした。安倍晋三首相が検討している１月中旬の中東訪問の日程が固まり次第、正式決定する。首相主催「桜を見る会」をめぐる問題が引き続き焦点となりそうだ。（2019/12/13-19:18）

The Japanese government and ruling bloc plan to convene next year's ordinary session of the Diet, the country's parliament, on Jan. 20, multiple senior ruling bloc officials said Friday.
   The date will be officially decided after the schedule for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's planned trip to the Middle East in mid-January is confirmed.
   The administration and ruling bloc, led by the Liberal Democratic Party, will seek to pass the fiscal 2019 supplementary budget during January. The extra budget will finance measures to shore up the economy after the Oct. 1 consumption tax hike and reconstruction projects following recent typhoon disasters.
   They are also looking to quickly enact a national referendum law amendment, a prerequisite for going ahead with discussions on revising the Constitution.
   The opposition camp, including the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, is expected to use opportunities such as budget committee meetings in the House of Representatives, the lower chamber, to continue grilling the Abe administration on a scandal involving government-funded cherry blossom-viewing parties hosted by the prime minister.