A ¥4.4 trillion supplementary budget for the current fiscal year, which runs through the end of March, was enacted by the Upper House on Thursday evening, clearing a major political hurdle for the Abe administration.
The authorization will allow Abe's team to focus on preparations for the full-year budget committee sessions for fiscal 2020. Supplementary budgets for a given fiscal year must be enacted before budget committee sessions for the following fiscal year can begin.
More than half of the massive spending package — ¥2.3 trillion — is earmarked for disaster recovery measures and other public works projects, such as those to repair facilities damaged by typhoons and heavy rain last year and to increase the height of river banks.