Takaichi Still Seeks Budget Passage before New Fiscal Year

Tokyo, March 12 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi reiterated Thursday that she aims to have the Diet, the country’s parliament, pass the government’s fiscal 2026 budget bill by March 31, the end of fiscal 2025. “We are not considering new budgetary measures (within the fiscal year),” Takaichi said, suggesting that the government plans to use available funds to finance programs to address soaring energy prices amid the deteriorating situation in the Middle East. Referring to the fiscal 2026 budget, the prime minister said at a meeting of the House of Representatives Budget Committee that she believes ruling and opposition parties share the desire to ensure people’s peace of mind, again seeking cooperation from opposition parties for the budget passage before the new fiscal year starts in April. Regarding measures to mitigate the impact of soaring crude oil prices, Takaichi said some 280 billion yen remaining in existing funds would be sufficient to address the current situation, adding that the government would use reserve funds if necessary. Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said he was not aware of any involvement by Japanese officials in the scandal related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]