Prime Minister Shinzo Abe got his draft budget for fiscal 2014, worth a record ¥95.88 trillion, through the Lower House on Friday, giving him more time to focus on the contentious issue of collective self-defense.
This is the first time the budget has cleared the powerful Lower House before the end of February since 2009, enabling the administration to implement the budget in April, when the new fiscal year starts. The sales tax will rise to 8 percent from the current 5 percent in April as well.
The Constitution stipulates that the budget bill is automatically enacted after 30 days even if the Upper House fails to pass it. Even so, the divided Diet in recent years meant that the opposition camp could bloc the deliberation process and often delay the budget implementation.
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