Japan's opposition parties on Tuesday submitted a no-confidence motion against the Cabinet of Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, according to local media.

The move came after the opposition's request for a three-month extension to the current Diet session was rejected by Suga's government and governing parties.

"The government has lost the public's confidence on numerous occasions," Yukio Edano, leader of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, the main opposition party, was quoted as saying by Nikkei Asia.

"The Suga government has not been able to protect the lives and livelihoods of our people," Edano said.

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its junior coalition ally Komeito, currently holding about two-thirds of the seats in the House of Representatives, will vote down the motion in the lower house plenary session later in the day, The Japan Times reported on Tuesday.

The last time a no-confidence vote was submitted to Japan's lower house was in June 2019. It's said that when a no-confidence vote is passed, the prime minister has 10 days to dissolve the lower house or have the entire cabinet step down.

After attending a three-day G7 summit, Suga said at a press conference that he did not rule out dissolving the lower house while stressing his priority remains containing the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Our top priority of course is the coronavirus response," Suga was quoted as saying by Nikkei Asia, adding, "I will look to ensure the safety and peace of mind of as many citizens as possible." 

COVID-19 vaccinations in Japan are picking up pace. There are days when the total number of shots administered grows by more than 1 million from the previous day, according to Nikkei Asia. 

If Japan continues to administer around 1 million vaccine doses per day, more than 60 percent of the country's population will have received at least one shot by the end of September, Nikkei Asia reported.

Suga succeeded Shinzo Abe as leader of the LDP and Japan's prime minister in September last year after Abe resigned over health problems. Japan must hold the next general election before the current four-year term of lower house members ends on October 21. 

(With input from agencies)