Japan Press Weekly

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2008 February 6 - 12 [POLITICS]

FY 2007 supplementary budget approved despite Upper House rejection

The House of Councilors on February 6 voted down the draft FY 2007 supplementary budget by the majority vote of the Japanese Communist, Democratic, and the Social Democratic parties.

However, the supplementary budget was approved in accordance with the constitutional provisions since it had been passed in the House of Representatives.

This was the first time in 15 years that the two Houses reached different decisions on the supplementary budget.

The FY 2007 supplementary budget (1.8 trillion yen in total) gives priority to military interests over the worsening living conditions of the public; 17 billion yen is allocated for the U.S. military realignment, and 22 percent of 57 billion yen allocated for measures to deal with oil price hikes will be used to buy fuel for the Self-Defense Forces.

At a press conference on the same day, Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo said, “The JCP has been firmly opposed to the draft supplementary budget because it includes expenditures to promote the U.S. military realignment such as the strengthening of base functions in Iwakuni and Okinawa. The government must take seriously the fact that the House of Councilors voted down the draft. The ruling parties must refrain from approving the draft FY 2008 budget by force of numbers in the House of Representatives.”