FOCUS: Tough Road to Continue in 2025 for Ishiba's Minority Govt

   Tokyo, Jan. 1 (Jiji Press)--A bumpy road is expected to continue this year for the minority government of Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.
   The biggest challenge for the Ishiba administration in this year's ordinary session of the Diet, the country's parliament, is to enact early the government's draft budget for fiscal 2025, which starts in April. The government hopes to convene the ordinary session on Jan. 24.
   The focus is whether Ishiba's ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner, Komeito, will be able to obtain cooperation from the opposition side for the budget passage.
   The first critical juncture is expected to come in late February or later, when the fiscal 2025 draft budget with record-high general-account spending of some 115.54 trillion yen is likely to be put to a vote at the House of Representatives, the all-important lower chamber of the Diet.
   The battle between the ruling and opposition camps, including over the high-profile slush funds scandal at LDP factions, is expected to heat up in the run-up to this summer's election for the House of Councillors, the upper parliamentary chamber.

(2025/01/01-08:00)

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