Japan Opposition to Grill PM on Extra Budget in Leaders’ Debate

Tokyo, May 17 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s opposition parties are set to grill Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi over plans to compile a fiscal 2026 supplementary budget aimed at addressing rising crude oil prices and inflation amid continued turmoil in the Middle East, during a party leaders’ debate on Wednesday. Although Takaichi has begun considering compiling such an extra budget, the opposition is poised to criticize the government for being slow to respond. It will be the first debate between party chiefs in the ongoing session of the Diet, the country’s parliament. The prime minister had insisted in Diet deliberations that she did not believe a supplementary budget was immediately necessary, despite repeated calls by the opposition to prepare one. After the government later began considering drawing up an extra budget, opposition lawmakers said that the about-face was “no surprise, but too late.” “Many people are struggling due to renewed inflation,” Yuichiro Tamaki, leader of the Democratic Party for the People, told reporters Friday. “I want to convey this directly to the prime minister in the party leaders’ debate.” Tamaki plans to press Takaichi for a supplementary budget worth about 3 trillion yen to continue subsidies for gasoline costs and electricity and gas bills. Meanwhile, the main opposition Centrist Reform Alliance, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and Komeito held a meeting in the Diet the same day to call for emergency economic measures. The CRA was formed by members of the CDP and Komeito in the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the Diet. “I question whether (the government) is aware of the actual situation on the ground,” CDP policy chief Eri Tokunaga said, referring to the increasingly unstable supply of naphtha and other goods. “The government’s perception is out of touch.” “Our three parties want to work on encouraging the government to do more,” CRA policy head Mitsunari Okamoto said. A record six opposition parties will take part in the 45-minute party leaders’ debate, with 12 minutes allocated to the DPFP, 10 minutes to the CRA, nine minutes to the CDP, six minutes to Sanseito, five minutes to Komeito and three minutes to Team Mirai. As each party is allotted only limited time, it is unclear whether the opposition will be able to engage in deep debates with the prime minister. Diet deliberations on a supplementary budget bill would need to begin by mid-June in order for it to be enacted during the current session. There is little leeway in the deliberation schedule, as the Diet session is set to end on July 17. It remains to be seen how the prime minister will seek the opposition’s understanding of an extra budget bill, which she needs as the ruling bloc holds only a minority in the House of Councillors, the upper Diet chamber. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]