Photo/Illutration Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba responds to a question from an opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan lawmaker at the Lower House Budget Committee on Jan. 31. (Takeshi Iwashita)

Deliberations that kicked off on a record budget for fiscal 2025 underscored the fragile state of the ruling coalition in the Lower House Budget Committee.

Without a majority, the ruling coalition needs opposition support to pass the budget totaling 115 trillion yen ($741 billion) in time for the new fiscal year starting April 1.

The main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan on Jan. 31 urged Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba to consider including its proposals in a revised budget.

He responded: “I believe that is the purpose for having this committee. I want to move toward a better course by listening to the various stances and discussions presented by other parties.”

Among its proposals, the CDP called for making senior high school education and school lunches free.

There have been only four instances since 1945 in which an initial budget proposal submitted by the government has been revised during Diet deliberations.

The Ishiba administration already knows the bitter taste of compromise. To gain passage for its supplementary budget in December, it had to obtain the approval of two smaller opposition parties. The revision was the first in 28 years and only the fifth time since 1945 in which a revised supplementary budget was passed.

While CDP members were making their proposals on Jan. 31, LDP lawmakers continued holding discussions with the opposition Democratic Party for the People and Nippon Ishin (Japan Innovation Party), both of which approved the supplementary budget back in December.

The DPP and Nippon Ishin are expected to make proposals of their own, which will likely require revisions to the initial budget proposal.

In the end, the LDP will have to decide which proposals from which parties it will agree to in order to win Diet passage of the budget.

For its part, the CDP must also show some restraint in making its proposals by demonstrating where the money would come from to fund the programs.

One high-ranking CDP member said public criticism could be directed at the opposition parties if they are seen to be only delaying passage of the budget with their proposals.

The government wants to pass the budget through the Lower House by March 2 to ensure it gains Diet approval before the start of the new fiscal year.

However, officials are not sure how much time will be needed to complete the revisions as revising a draft national budget has been such a rare occurrence.

The deliberations in the Lower House Budget Committee also had an inauspicious start as proceedings were delayed by a day due to a glitch in hearing testimony about slush funds held by the Liberal Democratic Party faction once headed by the late Shinzo Abe.

(This article was compiled from reports by Shinichi Fujiwara and Doni Tani.)

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