臨時国会

• Reading: りんじこっかい
• Romaji: rinjikokkai
• Kanji breakdown: 臨 (rin/nozo) — face, confront, attend; 時 (ji/toki) — time; 国 (koku/kuni) — nation; 会 (kai/e) — assembly, meeting
• Pronunciation: /ɾiɴ.dʑi.kok.kaɪ/

Meaning

Extraordinary Diet session; special session of parliament. A session of the National Diet convened outside the regular schedule to deal with urgent legislative matters.

Japan's National Diet has three types of sessions: 通常国会 (tsūjō kokkai, ordinary session, held once a year from January), 臨時国会 (rinji kokkai, extraordinary session, convened as needed), and 特別国会 (tokubetsu kokkai, special session, convened after a general election to elect the Prime Minister). 臨時国会 is often called in autumn to deal with the budget supplementary bills and other pressing legislation. The government may delay convening 臨時国会 to avoid political scrutiny, which itself becomes a political issue.

Examples

1. 大型台風の被害を受け、政府は復興対策を審議するために臨時国会の召集を決定した。 In the wake of severe damage from a major typhoon, the government decided to convene an extraordinary Diet session to deliberate on reconstruction measures.
2. 野党は臨時国会の早期召集を要求したが、与党は時期を先延ばしにし続けた。 The opposition demanded an early convening of an extraordinary Diet session, but the ruling party continued to postpone the timing.
3. 臨時国会での代表質問で、首相は経済対策の全容を初めて国民に示した。 During the representative questions at the extraordinary Diet session, the prime minister presented the full scope of economic measures to the public for the first time.

Usage Guide

Context: parliament, legislation, politics, journalism

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

Formed from 臨時 (rinji, temporary/special — from 臨 face a situation + 時 time) and 国会 (kokkai, National Diet — from 国 nation + 会 assembly). A constitutional and procedural term defined in the National Diet Law.

Cultural Context

Era: Post-war–Contemporary

Generation: Adults

Social background: General