Ruling Bloc Seeking to Wrap Up Lower House Budget Debates March 13

Tokyo, March 2 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s ruling bloc on Monday proposed holding a question-and-answer session at the House of Representatives Budget Committee on March 13 to wrap up the chamber’s discussions on the government’s draft fiscal 2026 budget. The coalition of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its partner, the Japan Innovation Party, made the proposal at Monday’s meeting of the board of the committee of the lower chamber of the Diet, the country’s parliament. Using his authority, Tetsushi Sakamoto, chair of the committee, decided to conduct on Wednesday-Friday a review of spending planned by each ministry and agency under the draft budget for the year starting next month. The ruling camp is accelerating efforts to secure the early passage of the budget bill through the Lower House as Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who heads the LDP, is seeking its enactment within the current fiscal year. But the opposition camp is criticizing the coalition’s moves, saying, “It’s effectively a call for a vote on the budget.” At the Monday meeting, Ken Saito, head of the committee’s board, proposed holding a regional hearing on the draft budget Sunday and a hearing at the Lower House on March 10, both needed before putting the budget bill to a vote in the chamber. The Centrist Reform Alliance and the Democratic Party for the People, both opposition parties, raised objections to the proposal. The ruling bloc plans to take a vote on the hearing schedule at Tuesday’s Budget Committee meeting. Referring to the Middle East situation following the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran, Saito told reporters, “We need to boost the predictability of the budget debate schedule.” While noting that the time spent on deliberations on the budget is seen reaching 60 hours as of Friday, Saito said that the Lower House Budget Committee will hold weekend discussions if needed. The Centrist Reform Alliance’s Akira Nagatsuma, the opposition side’s leader of the Budget Committee board, said, “We will make efforts to (have the ruling camp) withdraw the proposal.” END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]