通常国会が召集　予算案の年度内成立焦点

　第２１７通常国会が２４日召集された。少数与党を率いる石破茂首相（自民党総裁）が野党の協力を得て、２０２５年度予算案を今年度内に成立させることができるかが焦点。夏の参院選や東京都議選を視野に、派閥裏金事件を受けた企業・団体献金の扱いや選択的夫婦別姓の導入などで与野党の攻防が展開される。
　会期は６月２２日までの１５０日間。延長がなければ、参院選は「７月３日公示―２０日投開票」となる見込みだ。
　首相は首相官邸で記者団に「濃密な議論が行われ、より良い結果が得られるように政府としては努力していく」と決意を示した。立憲民主党の野田佳彦代表は党会合で「衆参でしっかり連携し、存在感を示す国会にする。勢いを付けて参院選での躍進につなげたい」と語った。（2025/01/24-11:53）

The Diet, Japan's parliament, convened Friday for a 150-day ordinary session, the first such session for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who leads a minority government.
   The focus is whether Ishiba, also president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, will be able to win enough support from opposition parties and enact the government's draft budget for fiscal 2025 before the March 31 end of the current fiscal year.
   The ruling and opposition parties are seen engaging in heated Diet battles ahead of this summer's elections for the House of Councillors, the upper chamber of the Diet, and the Tokyo metropolitan assembly.
   Key issues include whether to ban donations from companies and organizations to political parties following a high-profile slush fund scandal at the LDP and whether to introduce a selective dual-surname system for married couples.
   If the Diet session ends on June 22 without an extension, the Upper House election is expected to take place on July 20.