Japan Press Weekly

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2009 October 14 - 20 [POLITICS]

FY 2010 budget request reaches record-high level

Reflecting public demand, the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare decided to request budgets for making public high schools tuition free and establishing a child allowance system, but not to eliminate the discriminatory medical service system for the elderly aged 75 and over, which is an urgent demand of the elderly. The land ministry made budget cuts in road and dam construction projects.

The welfare and labor ministry only listed items, including the plan for restoring additional payments of benefits for mother-children households on welfare assistance and urgent measures to improve the employment situation, without showing the specific amount of the budget request.

The Defense Ministry’s request is almost the same as in FY 2009. In addition, the land ministry earmarked 600 billion yen in the budget request for carrying out a “social experiment” in toll-free expressways, a controversial item and not an urgent need of the public by any means.

In order to form a budget responding to people’s demand, it is essential for the government to make deep cuts in the military budget and do away with the overly generous tax breaks for large corporations and the wealthy. The need now is further public involvement by the end of this year when the government finalizes the FY 2010 budget draft. - Akahata, October 17, 2009