Prime Minister Taro Aso's Cabinet formally decided Dec. 16 to convene a 150-day regular parliamentary session Jan. 5 to seek approval of urgent economic stimulus packages, such as the secondary extraordinary budget for fiscal 2008.

The government is expected to present the supplementary budget on the first day of the session and its proposal for the fiscal 2009 budget, which will be finalized around Jan. 19, ruling coalition lawmakers said.

Finance Minister Shoichi Nakagawa plans to deliver a fiscal policy speech soon after the government submits the extra budget Jan. 5, and the House of Representatives and House of Councilors will hold question-and-answer sessions Jan. 6 and 7, they said.