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An extraordinary parliamentary session will likely begin on Nov. 28 to allow for deliberation on a supplementary budget needed to fund new inflation-relief measures proposed by the government of Japanese Prime Mister Shigeru Ishiba, an administration official said Thursday.
Japanese Emperor Naruhito addresses the opening ceremony of a special parliamentary session in the House of Councillors chamber in Tokyo on Nov. 14, 2024. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
The government plans to provide cash handouts — likely 30,000 yen ($194) each to low-income households exempt from resident tax, and an extra 20,000 yen per child to child-rearing families — and give subsidies to lower energy prices, in its latest bid to ease the pain of inflation.
Ishiba aims to seek parliamentary approval by the end of the year for the to-be-compiled budget plan for fiscal 2024 through next March to implement the new economic measures.
The smooth passage of the budget plan will likely hinge on how much the ruling coalition, which no longer holds a majority in the House of Representatives, heeds demands from the opposition bloc. The powerful budget committee of the chamber is now chaired by an opposition member.
The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and other smaller opposition parties are urging the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner Komeito party to hold a budget committee session before they start deliberations on the extra budget.
The call came as the current four-day special parliament session, in which Ishiba was reelected as prime minister following the Oct. 27 general election, ends on Thursday.
The opposition camp had agreed on the schedule as proposed by the government on the condition that an extraordinary Diet session is held soon.
They are demanding sufficient time be allocated in parliament to get to the bottom of a slush funds scandal at the LDP that contributed to the ruling party’s poor result in the recent election.
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