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2024 December 18 - 24 TOP3 [POLITICS]

FY2024 supplementary budget prioritizing military buildup over support for disaster-hit Noto enacted

The supplementary budget for fiscal 2024 of nearly 14 trillion yen was enacted in the House of Councilors plenary session on December 17 by the majority vote of the Liberal Democratic Party, the Komei Party, the “Nippon Ishin no Kai” party, and the Democratic Party for the People.

The Japanese Communist Party, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, and the “Reiwa Shinsengumi” party voted against the supplementary budget plan.

In discussions prior to the vote, JCP lawmaker Daimon Mikishi pointed out that the government, in the supplementary budget, will spend 826.8 billion yen for the planned military buildup, three times the amount allocated for the reconstruction of the disaster-hit Noto region. He also pointed out that the LDP-led government has included in the proposed budget the expenses for purchasing weapons and improving the functions of U.S. military bases in Japan. He criticized the government act for totally running counter to Article 29 of the Public Finance Act stipulating that supplementary budgets should be formulated to cover urgent expenses, such as disaster recovery measures and economic stimulus programs.

Furthermore, the JCP lawmaker noted that of the 14-trillion-yen supplementary budget, one trillion yen will be injected into semiconductor maker Rapidus. He said that government industrial policy used to support a specific corporation with taxpayer money is totally inappropriate.

Daimon claimed that the supplementary budget should be used mainly to support people in the Noto region battered by a double disaster (the massive earthquake in January and the record-breaking heavy rain in September), and demanded government measures for those affected by the natural disasters, including the reduction or exemption of medical fees and premiums on the National Health Insurance.

In addition, Daimon stressed that the government should spend more to help people survive the rising cost of living, and called for lowering the consumption tax rate to 5% as the most effective measure. He also urged the government to take action to increase care workers’ wages and make higher education free of charge.