One hurdle cleared? | Japan Daily Briefing
Takaichi may have solved the budget but electoral reform bill still faces significant challenges
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The Takaichi government may have the votes needed to pass the supplemental budget through both houses of the Diet, but the electoral reform bill is still held up, potentially exacerbating tensions between the LDP and Ishin no Kai. Meanwhile, Tokyo and Beijing continue to dispute what happened on 6 December, as China and Russia fly bombers around Japan, raising concerns that more Chinese military activity could be yet to come.
Takaichi has reason to hope for budget’s passage
As the budget committee in the lower house as the committee began its deliberations on the supplemental budget, it is possible that the JPY 18.3tn budget could make its way through the Diet thanks to the support of the Democratic Party for the People (DPFP).
After internal discussions Tuesday, it appears that there are no objections within the DPFP to supporting the budget and a final decision could be made by party leader Tamaki Yūichirō after he questions Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae on Wednesday, 10 December. The party’s support would ensure its passage in the upper house, where the government is six votes short of a majority.
Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae and other cabinet officials began facing questioning in the committee on Tuesday, with Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP) policy chief Honjō Satoshi pressing the prime minister on “responsible” fiscal policy – Takaichi repeated her line that the overall level of bond issuance in FY2025 will still be lower than in 2024 – and on the weak yen and rising interest rates (to which she said her government would take appropriate measures in response to “excessive and disorderly” market movements).
If the DPFP indeed backs the supplemental budget, it would remove one major obstacle facing the government in the final week of the legislative session.
