DPFP to Oppose Japan Govt's FY 2023 Budget

Tokyo, Feb. 24 (Jiji Press)--The Democratic Party for the People decided at a party meeting Friday to oppose the Japanese government's fiscal 2023 draft budget, with its leader suggesting the party's possible shift from its pro-ruling party strategy.

"We have concluded that the draft budget is not enough, after examining whether it would contribute to wage increases," Yuichiro Tamaki, chief of the major Japanese opposition party, told reporters after the meeting.

Tamaki noted that the draft budget and remarks from senior officials of the administration of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and the ruling camp do not contain a determination to double the amount of funds for policies for children, as sought by the DPFP.

The DPFP decision to oppose the budget for the year from April may affect its policy discussions with the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner, Komeito, pundits said.

Last year, the DPFP voted for the government's fiscal 2022 budget at the Diet in an unusual move for an opposition party, cozying up to the ruling bloc in order to achieve its own policy goals.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]