The General Affairs Ministry, to be created in January, will seek a budget for fiscal 2001 that is 18.3 percent larger than the combined initial budget of its three predecessor organizations for fiscal 2000, government officials said Friday.
The ministry, which will be formed in a merger of the Home Affairs Ministry, Posts and Telecommunications Ministry, and Management and Coordination Agency, is seeking 19.771 trillion yen, up by 3.054 trillion yen.
The large margin of increase for fiscal 2001, which starts next April, reflects spending earmarked for information technology projects and also increased tax grants to local governments.