Budget Bill Passes Amidst Japanese Female-Dominated Parliament Turmoil... Worth 1240 Trillion Won

The Japanese government's budget proposal for fiscal year 2025 (April 2025 to March 2026) was passed after revisions in both the House of Councillors (upper house) and the House of Representatives (lower house) amid various twists and turns. This is the first time under Japan's current constitution that the budget proposal has been amended in both houses.

According to local media such as Kyodo News and NHK on the 31st, the budget proposal, which was re-amended in the House of Councillors that day, was sent back to the House of Representatives plenary session and finalized.

The House of Representatives passed a revised bill on the 4th that reflected the second-largest opposition party, the Japan Innovation Party's policy of free high school tuition. Although the revised budget proposal was sent to the House of Councillors, a re-amendment was made to reflect the postponement of the out-of-pocket limit for the high-cost medical care system following a belated policy decision by Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru. Subsequently, in accordance with the National Diet Act, the revised budget proposal was finalized after obtaining the consent of the House of Representatives again. This is the first time in 29 years since 1996 that a revised budget proposal, rather than the government's original budget proposal, has been passed in the Japanese Diet.

The finalized budget amounts to 115.1978 trillion yen (1,238.9 trillion won) based on general account expenditures. Although it was reduced by 343.7 billion yen compared to the original budget proposal, it set a record high. This reduction is the first in 70 years since 1955.

The Nihon Keizai Shimbun stated, "An unprecedented development occurred surrounding the budget proposal in a political landscape where the ruling party is in the minority," adding, "Although Prime Minister Ishiba's goal of establishing the budget within the fiscal year was achieved, the future of the administration is severe."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.