Japan Opposition Chief Raps FY 2026 Draft Budget

Ise, Mie Pref., Jan. 4 (Jiji Press)–Japanese opposition leader Yoshihiko Noda on Sunday criticized the government’s draft fiscal 2026 budget with record general-account spending of some 122.3 trillion yen. “Larger spending could fuel inflation,” Noda, chief of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, said at a press conference in the city of Ise, Mie Prefecture, central Japan. “The size (of the draft budget) is problematic,” he added. The government of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi adopted the draft budget for fiscal 2026, which starts in April, late last month and will submit it to this year’s ordinary session of the Diet, Japan’s parliament, set to be convened Jan. 23. It aims to have the draft budget enacted by the March 31 end of fiscal 2025. The CDP “aims to set itself apart from the Takaichi administration by (actively) submitting counterproposals” at the ordinary Diet session, Noda said. “We will focus on the strategy.” Citing the possibility of the prime minister dissolving the House of Representatives, the all-important lower chamber of the Diet, within this year for a snap general election, Noda said that his party will speed up the selection of its candidates for the potential Lower House election. At a separate press conference in Ise on Sunday, Democratic Party for the People leader Yuichiro Tamaki praised the draft state budget, saying, “Our party’s ideas have been incorporated to some extent.” Tamaki reiterated the opposition party’s plan to cooperate for the enactment of the draft budget. “We will make efforts to offer cooperation,” he said. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]