4.7 billion yen claimed as cost to prepare constitutional revision

Japan Press Weekly

Japan Press Service Co., Ltd. is the only news agency providing information of progressive, democratic movements in Japan

4.7 billion yen claimed as cost to prepare constitutional revision

The Finance Ministry in its draft budget for FY2009 calls for 4.69 billion yen to be expended to prepare a national referendum on revision of the Constitution, which is scheduled to take place in May 2010.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications claims this to be the costs to develop a new system to compile a registration list in local governments for the referendum.

The referendum law was enacted in May 2007 by the majority support of the ruling Liberal Democratic and Komei parties, together with additional resolutions concerning the age limit for voting and the pros and cons on the setting of the lowest effective rate.

However, the Diet has failed to discuss any of these points.

- Akahata, December 22, 2008