Japan's Diet has enacted a budget bill in time for the start of the new fiscal year on April 1.
On Monday the Upper House voted on a 2025 draft budget that halts planned increases in limits on medical expenses.
It was approved with a majority vote of the ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic and Komeito parties, the opposition Japan Innovation Party, and others.
In accordance with the relevant law, the bill was then sent back to the Lower house and deliberated in the plenary session in the evening.
In a session, Lower House lawmaker Onishi Kensuke of the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party said he agrees with freezing increases in high cost medical reimbursements. But he also said he is infuriated about changes to the bill only three days after it was approved by the Lower House.
Onishi said he has to question the governing ability of the administration of Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru. He said the Ishiba administration lost decisiveness and modesty to listen to and seek cooperation from opposition parties.
Ishiba responded that the initial policy was meant to enhance the sustainability of the system but that he decided to put the medical costs review on hold after some said there were not enough discussions on the matter. He apologized for having to get the draft revised again after it cleared the Lower House.
The draft budget was then voted on and was unanimously approved after the Lower House agreed to the revision made by the Upper House.
The general account budget totals about 115.2 trillion yen, or close to 772 billion dollars, even after the total was reduced from the initial government proposal. The figure topped 115-trillion-yen mark for the first time ever.
Prior to enactment, the Lower House revised the draft to reflect specific measures for tuition-free education that had been agreed by the ruling coalition and the Japan Innovation Party.
The Upper House then revised the draft budget again by postponing a review on the high-cost medical expense support system.
This is the first time since Japan's current Constitution was enacted that the Lower House approved a draft budget that had been revised by the Upper House.
On Monday the Upper House voted on a 2025 draft budget that halts planned increases in limits on medical expenses.
It was approved with a majority vote of the ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic and Komeito parties, the opposition Japan Innovation Party, and others.
In accordance with the relevant law, the bill was then sent back to the Lower house and deliberated in the plenary session in the evening.
In a session, Lower House lawmaker Onishi Kensuke of the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party said he agrees with freezing increases in high cost medical reimbursements. But he also said he is infuriated about changes to the bill only three days after it was approved by the Lower House.
Onishi said he has to question the governing ability of the administration of Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru. He said the Ishiba administration lost decisiveness and modesty to listen to and seek cooperation from opposition parties.
Ishiba responded that the initial policy was meant to enhance the sustainability of the system but that he decided to put the medical costs review on hold after some said there were not enough discussions on the matter. He apologized for having to get the draft revised again after it cleared the Lower House.
The draft budget was then voted on and was unanimously approved after the Lower House agreed to the revision made by the Upper House.
The general account budget totals about 115.2 trillion yen, or close to 772 billion dollars, even after the total was reduced from the initial government proposal. The figure topped 115-trillion-yen mark for the first time ever.
Prior to enactment, the Lower House revised the draft to reflect specific measures for tuition-free education that had been agreed by the ruling coalition and the Japan Innovation Party.
The Upper House then revised the draft budget again by postponing a review on the high-cost medical expense support system.
This is the first time since Japan's current Constitution was enacted that the Lower House approved a draft budget that had been revised by the Upper House.
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Summary
Japan's Diet enacts budget bill for fiscal year 2025, freezing planned increases in medical expense limits. The decision was made by the ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic and Komeito parties, opposition Japan Innovation Party, and others. Despite agreement on the medical reimbursement
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ID: 5ae42b94-b652-41b4-8656-ed232e13f697
Category ID: nhk
URL: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20250331_16/
Date: March 31, 2025
Created: 2025/04/01 07:00
Updated: 2025/12/08 05:10
Last Read: 2025/04/01 08:13