The central government will strive to balance economic revitalization and fiscal consolidation, Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato said in a fiscal policy speech to parliament on Friday.
“As we vigorously advance economic revitalization, we will also realize fiscal consolidation,” Kato said.
Kato also asked for cooperation to swiftly pass the government’s budget and other bills. The budget bill calls for general-account spending of more than ¥115 trillion (about $740 billion), including on Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s signature policies, such as increasing subsidies to local governments and expenses on disaster prevention, boosting defense spending and tackling the country’s declining birthrate.
