Tokyo, April 9 (Jiji Press)–Calls for a supplementary budget have already begun to grow among Japanese ruling and opposition parties, following the enactment of the government’s fiscal 2026 budget this week. The annual budget includes 1 trillion yen in reserve funds, but there are concerns that this amount may be insufficient if the situation involving Iran is prolonged. “To protect people’s daily lives, we’ll take necessary measures flexibly while assessing the situation,” Takayuki Kobayashi, policy chief of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, told reporters on Wednesday. “We’ll demand that a supplementary budget reflecting the current situation be compiled as soon as possible,” Kazuhiko Shigetoku, parliamentary affairs chief of the opposition Centrist Reform Alliance, said at a party meeting. While the annual budget was compiled before the start of U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran, the government resumed gasoline subsidies in March. The subsidies are now expected to cost much more than the initial estimate of around 300 billion yen per month. Some in the ruling bloc are also calling for resuming measures to help people with electricity and gas bills. The Democratic Party for the People, another opposition party, is moving in lockstep with the CRA on the matter. The Iranian situation is “affecting people’s daily lives in different ways,” DPFP parliamentary affairs chief Motohisa Furukawa told a news conference. “It’s essential to take preemptive measures.” DPFP leader Yuichiro Tamaki has indicated that the party will consider specific measures, noting the need to support small and midsize companies, farmers, and the labor market. The government has not yet clarified its response. A senior LDP official pointed out that measures to cope with rising oil prices would not be necessary if the two-week ceasefire agreement between the United States and Iran becomes permanent. “We can’t make a decision before seeing how the situation evolves,” the official said. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
Calls for Extra Budget Already Begin to Grow among Parties
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